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Students at Dr. Edward L. Whigham Elementary School recently took part in a special “Planting Day” in the school’s butterfly garden.
Part of the school’s Eco-Team afterschool club, the students were working on a project for National Wildlife Federation’s Eco-Schools USA program to increase plant bio-diversity in school gardens.
Approximately 30 volunteers consisting of school staff, families and community members helped. A total of 100 native Pine Rockland plants were installed, purchased with a grant from the National Wildlife Federation and with a donation from Fairchild Tropical Botanical Garden’s Connect to Protect program. The garden serves as a model for other school yard native gardens and is used as an outdoor classroom.
Adrian Delesdernier, teacher and club sponsor as well as an Education Specialist and STEAM Liaison at Whigham Elementary, was pleased with how the event turned out.
“Increasing bio-diversity with native plants is a move to a more sustainable future,” Delesdernier said. “I’m so proud that the students in the club were willing to embrace and lead this project.”
Delesdernier also explained that the Florida Association for Water Quality Control (FAWQC) provided a $1,000 grant for the purchase of an educational kiosk to be designed and installed in the school garden because native plants are known to help with water conservation.
“Pine Rockland habitat used to cover about 185,000 acres in Miami-Dade County but only about one percent still exists,” Delesdernier said. “Pine Rockland is considered an imperiled habitat.”
The formal dedication of the garden will take place at the end of May. Whigham is one of three schools in Miami-Dade County that will be receiving a Green Flag award through the National Wildlife Federation Eco-Schools USA program. They already have earned a bronze and silver award for projects involving water conservation and protecting the watershed, oceans and wetlands.
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