It all started with a little bit of math, and a dash of science, and it morphed into composting, planting, and ultimately the unveiling of a beautiful butterfly garden.
Ecole St. Vincent Euphrasia Elementary School (SVE) teachers Tracy Dinsmore and Jill Calvert-Goetz along with their grade three students unveiled their new butterfly garden on Monday afternoon.
The pair described the progression of events that led to the completion of the garden.
“It started when we were learning about measuring perimeters,” Dinsmore told the gymnasium crowd of parents and students, “And then in science we talked about soil.”
From those lessons came a new composting program at the school that includes a custom designed compost bin, and has resulted in three buckets of compostable lunch scraps being delivered to the compost bin every day.
That compost has been used in the new gardens located at the south end of the school where the students now hope that the various plants they have introduced will provide a popular hang-out for area butterflies.
“What one little group started has turned into a big project,” said Dinsmore who noted that their project was even successful in securing a $1,000 grant from the Green Apple School Program which is backed by the Metro chain of grocery stores.
As Calvert-Goetz talked to the audience donning a t-shirt emblazoned with a huge monarch on the back, it was clear that she has a passion for butterflies. And her passion has rubbed off on her students.
“The first day the students arrived I had caterpillars here,” Calvert-Goetz told The Independent, “(After they emerged) we tagged them and we released them.” She says that they are keeping watch to see if any of their tagged butterflies show up in Mexico.
Calvert-Goetz also said that she is very proud of all of the work the students have put into this project.
“They were keen when I said let's make a butterfly garden, they were out there digging sod up,” she beamed.
Mayor Francis Richardson attended the special event and brought with him certificates of congratulations for both the English and French grade three classes. Richardson told the students that he was impressed with the work they had done, and thanked them for taking such good care of the environment.
The teachers have enlisted volunteers to take care of the garden over the summer months while students and teachers are enjoying a well earned vacation.
