Project Description: Students researched, planned, planted, and maintained a community
garden of native species and locally cultivated species. The heritage
garden idea was selected based on the needs of the new elementary
building infrastructure. The garden features native plants that help
provide habitat and collect rainwater from the school campus. Students
in grades preK-12th grade learned about native plants, rain gardens,
and natural landscaping through this garden area. One feature that was
highlighted is seed saving and the importance of maintaining a variety
of plants. Classes also added native plants to the used the campus'
existing five-acre prairie and will harvest the seeds to grow more
native plants in the prairie.
The garden will be featured as an educational tool for the school's
environmental science classes (PreK-12th) and annual summer camp
programs to teach our students, families, and community about
environmental and watershed issues. Since the garden is located right
next the front entrance of the school, students have enhanced the area
with a sign, allowing visitors to stop and smell the wildflowers while
learning the importance of native plants.
Fostering Lifelong Stewardship: Students have deepened their stewardship habits through
connecting to the school prairie and to the native garden.
Partners: Kent Conservation District, Plaster Creek Stewards
Teachers: 4
Students: 250
Funder: Great Lakes Stewardship Initiative
Project Description: WMAES continued investing in the native garden and campus prairie.
Fostering Lifelong Stewardship: Students who worked on this project are more aware of native
plants around them. At the prairie, students can recognize the plants
in the prairie that are in the garden. Students also are showing their
parents the garden and pointing out different plants. They were so
proud to show their work off to their parents! This project combined
the Enviroscape and the garden into a lesson and they were able to see
first hand how plants can absorb pollutants and keep them out of our watershed.
Partners: Kent Conservation District, Plaster Creek Stewards
Project Description: 3rd, 5th and 8th graders were involved in many place-based
projects during the course of the year. 3rd graders traveled to the
Outdoor Discovery Center and learned the history of the Three Fires by
throwing atlatls, visiting a wigwam and Summer Village, and trying
some edible plants. 5th graders took part in a salmon release project
at the Rogue River and learned how wild rice grew along the river and
how it was grown, harvested, and processed. They also used a shave
horse to make a replica paddle that was used in the parching process
of wild rice. 8th graders took a tour of the Grand River in downtown
Grand Rapids to experience the areas where the local Native Americans
lived and learned how they used the river to survive. After our tour
we visited our school river property in Belmont and created plans to
revitalize the property. Finally 8th graders took part in an exciting
clay project where they used clay harvested from the local area,
cleaned it, and made replica vessels that were made to cook Maple
sugar. Students made the vessels and fired them in a pit outside in
the school forest.
Fostering Lifelong Stewardship: The students are excited about rivers! They are asking questions
and telling stories. They are already making plans for next year, and
that is exciting for them and for us as a school community. Their
excitement and involvement will spill over into our school. We’ve seen
it happen over and over and students want more of this type of
education and ask for teachers’ to change in order to provide them
with hands on project based learning.
Two of our senior Capstone students transformed weedy areas into new
pollinator gardens. They researched, designed the gardens, removed the
weeds, transplanted the plants and also woodchipped each area. They
also designed signs that are in the garden spaces, so we remember
their hard work as the gardens grow over the years. In the fall they
worked with classes to plant natives into our school prairie as well
as visiting classrooms this winter to further educate the 3rd grade
and MS on the importance of native plants and how they affect
pollinators. This spring the high school students worked with an
expert and planted more native plants from seed and will grow these in
the greenhouse this summer.
Fostering Lifelong Stewardship:
As always, at WMAES, our seniors leave us with new knowledge about
the natural world. Providing them the tools, funds and partnerships to
complete their project has lit a fire under them. They were so excited
to watch the gardens they planted come to life, they took their
siblings and their parents to see what they made, they both told me
that they are so excited to get to college so they can learn more
about environmental science. The students also had a seed give away at
our open house in April. They created seed packets, printed them and
filled them with native seeds from Michigan Wildflower Farm. This was
a great experience for them, as they were able to interact with new
and returning families and explain why they were giving the seeds away.
