Greenhouse dedicated to Fred Springer

REARDAN – In his 32 years as agriculture teacher, Fred Springer did a lot for Reardan High School. On Tuesday, May 15, the school did something for him. It honored the former teacher and his wife Kathy at the grand opening of the state-of-the-art Fred and Kathy Springer Memorial Greenhouse.

After graduating from Otis Orchards High School in 1956, Springer joined the Marines and then attended Washington State University. Upon his graduation in 1967, he accepted a job at Reardan High School and worked there until his retirement in 1999. He passed away in 2022, and Kathy in 2023.

"Besides kids and pigs and the Democratic Party, Fred loved the greenhouse," Springer's successor and current agriculture teacher, Rick Perleberg said. "It was his pride and joy. He was one of the pioneers of horticulture education in Washington state."

The 40 feet by100 feet greenhouse cost $300,000 and was funded by donations from community members, federal grants, and school district funds.

"We wanted this greenhouse to be the coolest classroom on campus, and it is," Perleberg said. "It not only serves as a resource for our agricultural program but also for STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics). It is unlike any greenhouse in the area."

Perleberg praised facility director Jim Porter for serving as the project's general contractor and for coordinating contractors Todd Anderson Excavation, Chartwell Homes, L-Squared Concrete, Avista, Halme Construction, Max Energy, Apollo Mechanical, BSI Promos and The Brothers That Just Do Gutters.

"Jim Porter did a phenomenal job on this project," Perleberg said.

Perleberg also lauded his teaching partner Dan'a Borland for her passion and commitment to the project.

"Dan'a is a rock star for what she did to make this happen," he said. "She wrote over $100,000 in grant money to see this thing across the finish line."

The greenhouse has an automatic boom watering system, is climate controlled and has backup generators.

"We can grow traditional soil based plants, but also do hydroponics and aquaponics," Borland said. "We can grow and produce native trees, plants and a variety of flowers. We also have stackable soil towers which allow the use of vertical space instead of taking up horizontal space."

Borland said that besides growing plants, students will generate fertilizer by using worms to compost food scraps from the school's kitchen. They will also reproduce more worms, some of which will be sold for bait during fishing season.

Superintendent Eric Sobotta called the greenhouse "the newest and most innovative learning space in our school district." He said former school board president Jeff Anderson came up with the idea and that it quickly caught on.

"We would not be here today if not for Jeff Anderson. This was his idea, and we are grateful to the school board for supporting it," he said.

Former students and current school board members Jenny (Dougherty) Cox and Tessa (Schwartz) praised Springer for his dedication to the Ag program.

"Fred was passionate about the Ag program," Cox said. "He had your back 1000% and was the foundation of the strong FFA program we have today. He was the world's biggest supporter of kids. This greenhouse is a great tribute to him."

Wick said, "Fred always found a pathway for any kid, even those with only the teeniest interest in FFA or agriculture. He did everything possible to make sure they succeeded."

Dr. Keith Schulz, a 1982 graduate, said that Springer nearly changed the course of his life.

"Because of Fred, I almost became a pig farmer instead of a chiropractor," he said.

"His agriculture classes were not only about raising pigs and raising crops, but were also about public speaking, parliamentary procedure, getting people to think, setting goals and dealing with adversity. As much as Fred loved pigs, he loved his greenhouse. There were many kids in Reardan who did not raise animals, but they knew how to splice and graft trees, grow flowers, and arrange a beautiful bouquet because Fred taught them. Fred Springer was the consummate teacher."