Students Get Their Hands Dirty in Butterfly Gardens

Glen Cove, N.Y. — Recently, Glen Cove City School District’s four elementary schools were gifted several plants that support butterfly migrations and serve as a hands-on learning opportunity for young students. Deasy, Gribbin, Connolly, and Landing schools are the grateful recipients of the donated plants through the “Kindness Garden” environmental initiative between the Catherine Violet Hubbard Animal Sanctuary and the Glen Cove Rotary Club.

Along with the additional generosity of funds, materials, and time from the Glen Cove Youth Bureau, the program was supported by efforts from the Glen Cove Printery, STREAM and classroom teachers and assistants, the PTAs of the respective buildings, Donors Choose, buildings and grounds personnel, administration, and, of course, the inquisitive students.

STREAM educators across the District designed interactive lessons to go along with the garden initiative, embedding this new opportunity into the STREAM curriculum. This rewarding project directly places local ecosystem stewardship in the hands of students. The gardens are a gift that will keep on giving as butterflies, including the beautiful Monarch species, visit the garden for shelter, nourishment, and a nursery for their young. Students even got to create seed pods for planting in their own gardens at home.

The Kindness Gardens initiative works to beautify local land while increasing the number of truly native plants in a specific region — ensuring the character and hardiness of an ecotype plant is preserved for years to come. The Glen Cove City School District is proud to use this positive initiative as an educational opportunity for elementary students to instill an appreciation of nature.

For more information about the Glen Cove City School District, please visit the District’s website at www.glencoveschools.org. Happenings in the District can also be followed on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/glencovecityschooldistrict.