FFA Pollinator Garden
Even with the abrupt end to in-person school in March 2020 our courtyard pollinator garden project forged ahead. A student took charge of the project and used it as his Eagle Scout project. Together he and his dad designed the space and prepped for the project before the plants arrived. Loads of mulch were delivered and the student in charge reached out to the members of the boy scouts and FFA members to assist. Our volunteers brought and laid the mulch into the courtyard by wheelbarrow. Lastly, we read the design plans and placed the plants accordingly. The student in charge took care of watering to ensure our work was going to pay off.
As summer came to an end we planned for uses of this new space for the school year. We arranged the space to allow students and staff to have an area for mask breaks while maintaining social distancing. Final touches went in about two weeks after school resumed. Birdhouses and feeders, which were made by shop students last year, were added to the garden and a few birds decided to make our pollinator garden home. Suction cup bird feeders were purchased to hang on the windows in the art room, which oversees the garden, so students can draw and paint birds that land on the feeders. The art students are planning on making statues and art that can have a dual purpose of growing plants, feeding birds, or providing shelter for birds. During agriculture class when students need a break they head out to pull weeds. Students learn about the plants and how to distinguish between plants and weeds. In freshman biology class the teacher uses the area to discuss ecosystems and how animals, plants, insects, and microorganisms work together to make this wonderful world we live in. Students and staff love the area and the beauty it brings to the school.