By Olivia Hernandez ‘26
At Conestoga Valley, students are present every day. Whether in a club, sport, or simply in class, we’re everywhere. Even with our continuous attendance, we can all agree that we tend to let aspects of our school slip or never even enter our minds. For me, the Freight Farm, located right here on campus, was a program I had no idea about. To a lot of students, that name may be completely foreign. What the Freight Farm brings to our campus deserves to be widely known and recognized as a hidden, nutritional gem.
Conestoga Valley’s campus greenery is full of healthy opportunities for students and staff alike. Mr. Grisafi is one of the main figures behind the entire operation of the Freight Farm. I will be the first to admit that I had never heard the name of Mr. Grisafi or the Freight Farm before the entire operation was directly brought to my attention. He takes his work very seriously and genuinely speaks with pride on the farm. If any aspect of our school deserves a spotlight, it is our campus greenery.
My initial question for Mr. Grisafi when I entered the Farm was simple: What am I looking at? “It’s technically controlled environment agriculture”, Mr. Grisafi explained, “It’s a hydroponic container farm in which we can control all elements of growing. We provide everything a plant needs to grow.” Now, this is just the basis of a complex system, which in its entirety, is full to the brim with life. This is the main, straightforward “what?” behind the operation.
Evidently, Mr. Grisafi has passion behind his actions. I simply wanted to learn more about his work. I asked about his job and how he feels about being present, at work, in high school. To this, his response was solid and confident. “Why we have school is to prepare students to be able to go out into the workforce, be problem solvers, and communicate with other people”, he continued, “I view my job as being able to do that in a really unique way.”
Conestoga Valley’s campus greenery contains a lot more than what it initially shows on the surface. To us, it looks like a regular trailer, just a box full of whatever we can imagine. I had no idea that we were in the presence of an entire farm on wheels; a place for life to grow. Not only does the Farm deserve recognition, but it also deserves the credit of contribution. Arguably, this is one of the most prosperous aspects of our school and many students don’t have the slightest idea that it’s there.
So, we explored the “what?” behind the farm, but I was equally curious about the “why?”. Why is the Farm on campus and how did it get here? “It was my idea to bring it on campus!” Mr. Grisafi beamed, “Conestoga Valley has an education foundation that funds a lot of areas of our campus, and I’m the teacher representative on that. My wheels were spinning on hearing other people’s ideas and I came upon this one.”
It’s refreshing to hear that this idea stemmed directly from one person’s creativity and dared to move forward. It’s also amazing to know that we get access to the Farm through people who continue to pursue it daily.
The Freight Farm provides nothing but good to our school community. Campus greenery deserves so much to be explored and known. Now, we know what it is, how it came about, and why it’s here. Behind the operation, just as anything, there’s a heart– maybe even multiple. “Sometimes, I ask students if they want to come out to the farm and see something. They look at me like I’m crazy because they just don’t know!” Mr. Grisafi says, “They come out, and they’re like, ‘woah, this is cool, I’ll do this again.’ That sparks my energy and fuels me. That’s what it’s all about.”
Behind all of it, campus greenery is about us. It’s about getting together and discovering the operation. It’s about knowing what’s going on and how to get involved. Mr. Grisafi and every other person behind the Farm yearn for us to get involved in campus greenery. In the farm, every hand is helpful, every idea is heard, and everyone is welcome to learn how to be a part of nutrition and life.
If you would like to get involved with the Freight Farm or have further questions, feel free to reach out to Mr. Grisafi through his email, Joseph_Grisafi@conestogavalley.org