Archive: Around Town

A large crowd of gardeners could be found at Lansing Elementary School Saturday as volunteers spent the day creating a pollinator garden next to the District Office.  The garden was the brainchild of Elementary School Special Education teacher Wendy Wright and parent Lisa Scanlon.  Boy Scouts, Cub Scouts, elementary students and parents were among the many people who came out to plant ten raised garden beds.

"We have boy scouts, students from the elementary, middle and high schools and their parents that are planting the elementary school pollinator garden," Wright said.   "We'll have perennials around the edge of our pollinator garden to try to attract butterflies and songbirds.  There is some coneflower which will bring goldfinches in August.  A lot of birds that need little seeds will come, and we're hoping to plant some tall sunflowers that will bring a lot of different pollinators and birds.  We'll have chickadees and nuthatches."


Wright led a Monarch Butterfly project at the elementary school, growing the butterflies from larvae,  then tagging and releasing them.  The project was primarily for third graders, but the whole school was involved.  Milkweed in the garden will attract the Monarchs, as well as a variety of birds and pollinators.

Some of the scouts were working on the garden to earn badges to help them advance to a higher rank.  Boy Scout and 6th grader Lucas Jackson, 11, said he would stay Saturday until the job was done.

"It's fun," he said.  "I get to see some of my friends.  And it's very helpful to what the school is going to do.  It's surprising to see this many people here."


Wright credited Scanlon with making the project happen.

"Lisa is an integral part of this," Wright said.  "Together we lead a Monarch Butterfly club.   She was integral in the writing of the grant.  She's gotten a lot of the donations.  So Lisa is at least 80% of this garden

Scanlon said Wright may have exagerrated the percentage.  But it was clear the two had a viable project that will be used for various science projects during the school year.  The boxes, soil and mulch was donated, and the rest was funded from a University of Minnesota North American Monarch Institute grant.  Tulips are being planted in the boxes.  Each grade, K through 4 will be responsible for two boxes, which will be integrated into the curriculum.

"Kindergarten teachers have already expressed interest," Wright says.  "They can't wait to look at their boxes, and have asked if they can paint them.  We're hoping to get art involved, so we can do some sort of a project."

Looking around at the busy volunteers, Wright added, "Isn't this amazing?  This is typical of the Lansing community, I think. They are just so giving."

v12i43