BHUSD Expands Hands-On STEM Learning Through City Greens Farm

The Beverly Hills Unified School District is expanding hands-on learning opportunities for students through its partnership with City Greens Community Farm, an initiative designed to connect classroom lessons with real-world science and sustainability.

The BHUSD Board of Education approved a two-year pilot program in August aimed at expanding access to farm-based learning experiences across district campuses. District officials say the program reflects BHUSD’s continued emphasis on innovation, wellness and environmental responsibility.

At the center of the initiative is a hydroponic container farm located at the Hawthorne Campus. The site functions as a living classroom where students can engage directly with plant science, sustainable growing practices and applied STEM learning.

The program builds on work already underway throughout the district. City Greens currently operates five hydroponic growing towers at Beverly Hills High School and one tower at Beverly Vista Middle School, allowing students to explore hydroponic farming and plant cultivation through classroom-based activities.

As part of the pilot program, additional hydroponic towers will be installed across BHUSD campuses to expand access and integrate hands-on agricultural learning more broadly throughout the district.

Recently, Beverly Hills High School Service Learning students and Moreno High School students visited the Hawthorne Campus farm to experience the program firsthand and participate in farm-based learning activities.

Beverly Hills High School Principal Loan Sriruksa said the partnership provides meaningful opportunities for students to apply academic concepts beyond the classroom.

“This partnership reflects the innovative spirit of BHUSD. Our students are not only learning scientific concepts, they are applying them in meaningful ways that build leadership, awareness, and responsibility,” Sriruksa said.

Through direct participation in the program, students cultivate fresh produce while exploring environmental responsibility, nutrition education and sustainable growing methods.

District leaders say the City Greens Community Farm program represents an effort to connect science education with practical experience, giving students opportunities to engage with agriculture, sustainability and collaborative learning in a hands-on environment.