9th graders engage in stewardship & service learning
Last Thursday, the 9th grade students completed the final phase of preparing about 16,000 square feet of underused campus land to become a vibrant pollinator habitat. Working with community partner David Hammond, founder and director of Creating Habitat for Pollinators, students helped with the final tilling, then mixed, spread, and rolled native and annual seed mixes that will bloom next academic year. Students also cleaned up the pollinator hedgerow, labeled shrubs and trees, and learned how to harvest native seeds.
This collaborative, student-led project is part of WUHSMS’s CRAFT program and provides an authentic experience in service learning and environmental stewardship.
After the experience, students reflected on something they enjoyed, something they found challenging, and something they thought next year’s students might benefit from. Below are a few quotes that capture the reflection of students:
I really like getting seeds from the flowers and seeing all the different shapes and sizes. One thing that was challenging was separating the seeds from the other parts of the flowers. It was fun. - Sawyer
I enjoyed putting the tags on the plants. I had fun learning the types of plants in the hedgerow. Next year’s students benefit from the amount of pollinators that visit next year. - Heidi
I spread seeds, moved equipment with the wheel barrel, and ended with thatching the hillside. Moving things with the wheel barrel was really fun. I also enjoyed spreading seeds. - Benny
Next year’s students may have the pleasure of enjoying the presence of a higher biodiversity of butterflies. - Vitus
I found tilling to be the most fun because it was with my friends. I found raking the hill next to the football field challenging as it felt like little progress was being made. Next year’s students will benefit by having nice flower beds and a lot more pollinators on our school campus. - Bray
I enjoyed chilling outside and measuring a bit. It was a little hard to set the precise length of the rows [when calculating total square footage]. Next year’s students will have the plants, which will help them study pollinators easier. - Gray
Acknowledgements
This learning opportunity was made possible by David Hammond, Abbie Castriotta, Nick Wolfe, Lauren Sullivan-Justice, Jason Tarleton, Kat Robbins, Janis Boulbol, Kevin Nunan, Keith Brayton, Karen Ganey and Orion Binney, along with the many teachers who contribute their energy to prioritize wellness on our campus. Special thanks to our photographer, Monica Darling!