York Elementary students establishing an official monarch waystation to support the national migration study of the monarch butterfly.
Third-grade teacher Amy Thoman said the school had to complete a formal application process to join the national program, which began in 1992. Thoman said the school was required to prove the garden contained a specific number of pollinators and varieties of milkweed to qualify for the designation.
“We are going to do monarch watch tagging,” Thoman said. “We are going to submit our data to the, the Monarch Watch Foundation. We also have a Whole Foods Market Foundation Grant where we’re going to grow food for the community and for the children.”
Thoman said the project began six years ago when her kindergarten class decided to rehabilitate a neglected garden on the school grounds. Thoman said the space has since evolved into a butterfly sensory garden used as a learning environment for students in pre-K through eighth grade.
“Our goal is to create a garden where every student in every grade feels ownership and belonging,” Thoman said. “They’re the ones that plant it, they water it, they weed it.”
Thoman said the garden currently features Shasta daisies, purple coneflowers, and various herbs such as oregano, lavender, and rosemary. Thoman said students recently planted 20 milkweed plants across six different varieties to prepare for the arrival of monarch caterpillars.
“They’re going to become real-life scientists and their contributions will benefit the monarch butterfly,” Thoman said. “And I hope, like I said before, I hope our students can motivate our other local schools to become involved and possibly create a backyard sanctuary for pollinators.”
Thoman said every grade level will participate in a spring release event where they will order monarch caterpillars and observe their life cycle. Thoman said students are also learning to identify male and female butterflies and will write persuasive essays to the local newspaper regarding the importance of environmental conservation.
“I just hope that they know that, that they can make an impact, that they matter,” Thoman said. “It’s just a little piece of letting them actually live, you know, understanding how to help, you know, the different pollinators and how to, how to make an impact on their environment and caring about, you know, all of the different animals and just understanding the life cycle and how they can contribute and that they matter and taking care of the environment is important.”
Thoman said the school is seeking community volunteers to assist with weeding and watering the garden, particularly during the summer months. Thoman said those interested in volunteering or making financial donations to support the garden’s expansion should contact the York Elementary office.
