Connor Consolidated School was one of four Maine schools and 24 nationwide to be selected for a $2,500 grant last year. The grant is from the National Wildlife Federation’s Schoolyard Habitats Program and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Having worked hard the last several months, students were finally able to plant recently.
In order to qualify, a school must be located near a national wildlife refuge. Located near Aroostook National Wildlife Refuge in Limestone, not only did this allow them to qualify, it also brought in educators from the refuge. Friends of the Refuge, Penny Kern and Betty Rinehart along with Assistant Refuge Manager, Steve Agius, visited the school to help with the audit and familiarize students with composting.
“It’s been fantastic for their education,” Marion Lugdon, grade 4-6 teacher, said. “We’ve had great parent and staff support.”
One of the requirements was to involve the entire school and larger community in this project. Select students, parents and staff became part of an Eco-Action Team, which held meetings to discuss the progress of their project as well as their focus of several different topics. These topics include vermi composting, outdoor composting, a pollinator garden, and a vegetable garden. Vegetables grown will be used as snacks at the school next fall, and students hope to attract butterflies, moths and hummingbirds with their pollinator garden.
Students also performed an environmental review/audit. As a school, they chose to focus on consumer waste. Students working on the pre audit calculated that the school was creating a total of 11,077 pounds of waste each year.
With a goal in mind to reduce waste, students devised an Eco-Action plan as well as an Eco-Code. This plan included a list of how to save materials and energy around the school. Examples included shredding paper to create door draft blockers, using styrofoam trays, using less paper, and using uneaten foods for composting rather that wasting.
Their progress was monitored and evaluated by linking this project to the educational curriculum, assigning each student their own plant to research, and creating a post audit.
“The kids have all worked so hard,” Lugdon said. “They have brought stuff to me from home that they’ve found out about the different plants.”
With their Eco-Action plan in full swing, students calculated that 9,272 of waste will be saved and the school will only send a total of 1,805 pounds of waste each year to the landfill.
“Even if you don’t do something huge, always try to pitch in,” Jessica Leavitt, fifth-grade student, said. “It’s not just you you’re helping.”
Leavitt, along with her classmates, was able to teach younger students in the school safety skills and precautions to take when working in the garden. These skills were put to use when it came time for planting on June 5.
Coleson Theriault, another fifth-grader, was able to educate younger students as well.
“Pollinators help. If you don’t have pollinators, plants won’t live,” Theriault said.
With the construction of the garden complete, and a variety of plants now in the soil, students must maintain the hard work they’ve done throughout the year into next year.
They’ve gained more respect for the environment and learned how a group effort can go a long way.
“Even a school as small as ours can help,” Leavitt said.
