There is something transformative about stepping away from the screen, walking out into a campus garden, and holding a living, breathing creature.
At BRSTEM, our Grow Your Own Food initiative has always been about more than just planting seeds, watering soil, and harvesting vegetables. It is about connecting students directly to the lifecycle of what sustains us. And for years, one of the most powerful catalysts for that connection hasn’t been a plant at all—it’s been our campus flock.
From Humble Beginnings to a District-Wide Movement
We began integrating chickens into school communities during the 2022–23 school year when we partnered with Park Ridge Magnet School in Baker. Following the tradition of every school we work with, the chickens were housed right inside the school garden, turning an ordinary outdoor space into a living laboratory.
What started as a single pilot site has blossomed across Baton Rouge. Over the years, our initiative has expanded to include partnerships with McKinley Elementary and Dufrocq Elementary. Today, for the 2026–27 school year, students across our active school partners—Scotlandville Magnet High, Dalton Elementary, Lanier Elementary, Claiborne Elementary, and Capitol Elementary—are collectively raising 20 chickens across their various campuses.
The Journey: From Summer Camp Brooders to Campus Flocks
The journey of our campus chickens always starts in the heat of summer. Each year, our STEM Exploration Summer Campers take on the vital responsibility of raising fragile baby chicks. Campers care for them, monitor their development, and nurture them until they are ready to be delivered to our partner schools in the fall.
“Students learn the responsibility of taking care of a living organism. In some rare instances, they also experience the unfortunate loss and the circle of life.”
For K-12 students, this hands-on approach creates a continuous arc of learning. Campers and in-school participants witness firsthand the entire transformation: fragile, fluffy hatchlings turning into adult chickens who eventually lay fresh eggs right in their school gardens.
Along the way, students confront real-world lessons that textbooks simply cannot teach. They learn daily accountability—ensuring clean water, fresh feed, and secure enclosures. And while joyful moments abound, students also navigate the profound, tender realities of nature, learning resilience and empathy when facing the occasional loss and the true circle of life.
K-12 Collaboration: High School Engineers Building the Future
One of the most exciting developments in this initiative is how it bridges grade levels through authentic, project-based learning.
This school year, high school students at Scotlandville Magnet High School are integrating their engineering practices directly into the initiative. Applying core mechanical design principles, these older students are building robust, highly functional coops and shelters for the chickens. These student-engineered structures are designed to be standardized and replicated across all of our elementary and middle school partner sites, creating a powerful mentorship loop where high school engineers design solutions that directly benefit younger students across the district.
Cultivating Leadership and Responsibility
When a student gently cradles a peeping chick in the palm of their hand, or confidently tends to an adult hen alongside their peers in the garden, something shifts. They aren’t just students completing an assignment anymore—they are caretakers, scientists, and leaders.
By grounding our “Grow Your Own Food” initiative in living systems, we are giving students roots in their community and the wings to explore what’s possible. Whether they are designing engineered coops, managing daily garden chores, or experiencing the wonder of a fresh harvest and farm-fresh eggs, our students are building the patience, empathy, and responsibility that will carry them far beyond the classroom.