After the other daily tasks — checking water, testing pH level and adding nutrients — were finished in the hydroponics lab at P141 @ IS 71 in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, teacher Philip Gagnon invited a student to water the worms.

The 10th-grader walked to the compost trays, happily accepted a water bottle from Gagnon and sprayed the dried coconut husk and the food scraps. When she was done, she helped Gagnon replace the paper on top and, in the process, got to touch a baby worm inching along the tray’s top edge.

Keiry Garcia, one of the paraprofessionals, encouraged the teen. “Good job!” she said, noting how happy the task made the student.

The hydroponics lab at this District 75 site, which serves students with profound learning challenges, allows students to participate in gardening activities year-round. The students have the opportunity to witness the plant life cycle from seed to fruit.

The lesson for this six-student class on a Thursday in November centered around basil. A 9th-grader colored the daily calendar slot green to signify plant growth. She wrote “basil,” with Garcia’s assistance, and an 8th-grade classmate glued a picture of the herb on the page, with guidance from occupational therapist Christine Kressel. As Gagnon, who teaches full time in the hydroponics lab, pruned the basil leaves, the 10th-grader collected them in a plastic container.

The group discussed what the leaves looked, smelled and felt like. “It smells really good,” Garcia said, but not everyone agreed. Gagnon asked, “Do you want to take a taste?” but none of the students did.

The hydroponics lab grows leafy greens, herbs, flowers and fruiting plants like cucumbers, eggplant and bell peppers. In addition to caring for the plants, students grow and press flowers and use them to make dyes for painting and in other art. They also make salads and cook food with the help of Gagnon’s hot plate, food dehydrator, blender and steamer.

Throughout the class, the paraprofessionals and related service providers help the students engage in learning and navigate the room safely. Garcia, Kressel, physical therapist Rennier Mendoza and health paraprofessional Dwayne Phillip provide hand-over-hand and hand-under-hand guidance, escort students around the lab, help them answer questions with their communication devices, and coach them as they write words or cross off items on their checklists.

The support from the paraprofessionals and the related service providers allows Gagnon to continue with his instruction throughout the class, Mendoza said. “When the assistance is needed and provided, it’s easier for the teacher to complete what he planned for the class,” he said.

Related service providers have helped adapt materials for students and families, said Gagnon, who is also the school’s chapter leader. Speech therapists, for example, created or advised him on communication tools he uses during lessons, including choice boards, visual supports and words that are programmed into students’ communication devices.

“I couldn’t do it without them,” he said. “They come in here every day, and they are so dedicated to making sure that the students can really benefit fully from this.”

Paraprofessionals have spent their own money to buy ingredients for cooking, such as garlic, vinegar, oil, Parmesan cheese, flour and salt to make dishes like pesto, fried okra and dill pickles, Gagnon said. They have also used Teacher’s Choice funds to buy items like measuring cups and spoons.

Mendoza said he helps students transition and access what the lab offers as independently and safely as possible. Staff members rely on one another in working with students at the site, the smallest of P141’s five locations.

“When Mr. Phil does his lessons, everyone helps assisting everyone,” Mendoza said. “We try to get the kids who are familiar with us or who listen more to us so it’s easier.”

Kressel, the occupational therapist, said she adapts the classroom environment or the tasks so all students can participate, with the goal of having the children each do as much as they can independently.

Kressel said she will ask paraprofessionals for suggestions about working with particular students. “I always want to know what the paraprofessionals think,” she said. “They spend more time with the students than I do.”

Phillip, the health paraprofessional, said he picked up strategies for working with particular students from the occupational and physical therapists. He learned that hugging the 8th-grader in the class can help when he is overwhelmed and that the 9th-grade boy needs to move around during class.

Marie Ridore, a paraprofessional at the site for over 20 years, one day offered to make Haitian-style iced tea when the class wasn’t sure what to do with the lemongrass they had grown.

The staff at P141 @ IS 71 is small, and many have worked together for a long time. “We’re like a family because we know each other,” Ridore said.

Mendoza agreed. “It’s a good environment with good co-workers,” he said. “Sometimes when you need their help, you don’t even have to ask. They just jump in.”