Butterfly Garden

The Green Idea

The project:

-have students design, create, and maintain a butterfly garden on school grounds-assist teachers to design a hands on way to teach the science/technology strands in the classroom -add some beauty and naturalization to an urban schoolyard -raise and care for monarch butterflies onsite

How we'll make it happen:

-we will choose a winning design for the garden fairly and equitably-students,staff and parents will dig the garden in the spring and plant milkweed and other butterfly friendly plants -students in select classes will compost school waste to assist in the health of the soil and plants-student members of the schools' environmental club will play an active role in the upkeep of the garden-raised butterflies will be tagged and tracked when they migrate south

How it will positively impact the environment:

This project will help beautify our urban schoolyard. It will allow us to teach our schools' students an environmentally friendly way to manage classroom waste. (ie: pencil shavings, paper towels, bread crusts) Our garden will assist in the conservation of monarch butterflies. Our students will have a greater understanding of how their actions or inactions can have a detremental effect on our environment and hopefully will empower them to make positive choices

How we'll measure its success:

We will be able to measure the number of students involved and whether we were able to meet the timelines set forth at the outset. We will be able to measure the success of the garden if any tagged butterflies are identified in Mexico after their migration. We can measure how much soil we create, how many butterflies we raise, etc.

Who's participating :

Our vice-principal and three teachers make up our environmental committee. We are responsibe for the making of timelines, schedules and getting the materials required for this project to work successfully. The student body is involved in creating and maintaining the project.