Algonquin Road School Is Not Taking Gardening For Granted

FOX RIVER GROVE, IL — There is perhaps no more important time than now for the youth of America to learn the importance of caring for the environment, and that's exactly what Algonquin Road School aims to achieve with its newest addition: a pollinator garden funded by a state grant.

Algonquin Road School, in Fox River Grove, was one of 43 schools in Illinois to receive a 2021 Illinois Schoolyard Habitat Action Grant from the state's department of natural resources. Elementary STEM teacher Emily McDonald told Patch the school's grant totaled $930.72.

"My hope is that, through this project, the kids will take ownership of this garden and take it in their lives wherever they go," McDonald said. "[They will] have a sense of pride in building something and connecting with nature in a way that is real to them and part of their lives."

Although the garden cannot be planted until the weather warms up, McDonald said her students have already begun working on projects in anticipation of springtime planting.

The school has tasked its fourth grade students with plotting the location of plants in the garden.

McDonald said the grant program requires schools to plant a "very specific" list of plants native to the area, many of which are seen in the students' garden design charts.

"These are going to be low-maintenance plants," McDonald said. "They won't require much extra watering, extra fertilizer, extra resources. The gardens should be very sustainable."

While the garden's primary function will be to teach students about environmental science, McDonald said she also intends to create a space that can be enjoyed by the entire Algonquin Road School and Fox River Grove community.

"This project is going to hopefully be a community project, not just STEM students," she said. "We are really going to get the word out and invite the community to enjoy the garden."

McDonald said she will purchase plants for the garden in April and work to have them planted by early May. The garden will also be maintained by Algonquin Road students during the school year and by volunteers during the summer months.

The ultimate goal of the project? For McDonald, it's to make lifelong learners of STEM students.

"Research shows, and we all know, that when you have an emotional connection to what you're learning, you're more likely to be truly invested in it." McDonald said she hopes that for her students, the garden "can be something that becomes a hobby and a career in life, later on."