At the Freshman and Sophomore Dance Feb. 28 at Little Flower High School in Northeast Philadelphia, Principal Kathleen Radebaugh wore a very special dress in a bold pink hue.
The dress was designed and sewn with care by Melanie Moreno, a freshman student at Little Flower and participant in Little Flower’s Klarich Center for Academic Excellence, which provides enrichment and instructional support for students across all subjects and competencies to ensure that all students succeed.
“I felt excited and special that she chose the dress that I took the time to design and create,” Moreno said. “I can’t think of a better compliment than to have my school principal wear something that I created with my own imagination and hands.”
Other Little Flower students in the Klarich Center program explore vertical farming methods using aeroponic towers, vertical structures that suspend plant roots in the air instead of in soil.
According to the USDA, vertical agriculture could help increase food production and expand agricultural operations as the world’s population is projected to exceed 9 billion by 2050.
Producing fresh vegetables close to teeming urban populations could help meet increasing global food demands in a more sustainable manner. The practice would also help reduce distribution chains to lower emissions, provide higher-nutrient produce, and drastically reduce water usage and runoff.
Brianna Scollon, a junior at Little Flower, says she enjoys watching her plants grow, which she grew from seed.
“Not only am I learning so much about taking care of the plants and their pH levels,” Scollon said, “but making people more aware of this technique of growing food will be able to help countless families provide food for themselves.”
Every day Scollon must monitor the pH levels of the plants’ water, and when the levels are off, “I have the privilege of adding bases and acids to the water so that the plants may thrive,” she said. “Knowing I’m able to grow food myself starting from just some seeds is very exciting.”
About 15-20 students currently participate in the Klarich Center program, and that is expected to grow, according to Dr. Rafael Limon, the center’s director since last November.
Born and educated in Mexico, Limon is also a motivational speaker and author of three books in Spanish. He has previously worked at Lehigh Carbon Community College creating projects to inspire students, similar to his role at Little Flower.
The Klarich Center is named after the beloved former Little Flower principal, Sister Kathleen Klarich, a member of the Religious Sisters of Mercy, who began her career at Little Flower in 1972 as a teacher and later returned to serve as principal from 1996 until her retirement in 2020.
Limon credits the generous and dedicated Little Flower alumnae, who provided the funds to create the Klarich Center out of their great desire to take current students “to the next level of excellence.”
To keep the alumnae informed of the center’s progress, Limon has created an online magazine and a “STEM Can be Fun” podcast.
Podcast episodes are hosted by student interviewers and have featured guests including Little Flower chemistry teacher Carol Dauerbach and math and physics teacher Carol Pisacano.
“These students are working so hard on these projects,” Limon said.
He expects the Klarich Center to make continued growth in the next school year with more students engaged and more projects to challenge their creativity.
To read the latest issues of the Klarich Center’s online magazine, visit their website at https://littleflowerhighschool.org/kalrich-center. The magazine contains links to the podcasts.
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