Penny Creek Elementary School second-grader Roya Farhat, 7, explains why the raised flower beds planted with mixed flowers and vegetables are good for bees, and why bees are important to us, Friday during a celebration of the great job they did creating the garden. (Dan Bates / The Herald)

Penny Creek Elementary School second-grader Roya Farhat, 7, explains why the raised flower beds planted with mixed flowers and vegetables are good for bees, and why bees are important to us, Friday during a celebration of the great job they did creating the garden. (Dan Bates / The Herald)

Penny Creek Elementary students are abuzz about bees

MILL CREEK — Two classrooms at Penny Creek Elementary School were overrun with visitors Friday.

The kids were in charge, leading parents and other guests on a tour of their year-long project, an outdoor garden designed to attract bees.

“We call this our reading garden because we read out here a lot. We also call it our outdoor classroom,” said Roya Farhat, 7, a second-grader at the school.

Farhat showed off the raised flower beds planted with a mix of flowers and vegetables. So far the kids have seen two bees among the flowers.

“Bees are very important to our environment because they pollinate our fruits and vegetables,” she said. “And they make that delicious honey you love!”

Inside one classroom, third-grader William Scarborough and second-grader Ethan Stevenson stood holding a large poster showing the life cycle and ecology of bees. They answered questions from parents.

“I think the most interesting thing is there are more than five ways that bees die,” Scarborough said, including mite infestations and pesticide poisoning.

“Native bees can survive mites, but regular bees can’t,” Stevenson chipped in. “This isn’t happening just here, this is happening worldwide!”

Kirsten Judd’s third-grade class joined forces with Valerie Strong’s second-graders for the project.

The project evolved from the life sciences curriculum, Strong said, and their reading about endangered bee populations.

The kids ran with it, sometimes steering their work in unexpected directions, she said.

In addition to the garden, the kids made videos, painted signs and created informational posters. They wrote letters to the landscapers to ask them to let some parts of the lawn grow out with bee-friendly dandelions.

They raised money, applying for and receiving a $5,000 grant from the National Education Association and a $1,000 grant from the Everett Public Schools Foundation.

They also asked for and received 200 free ride passes from Community Transit so they could go shopping for supplies.

“We got these plants from a special place,” Farhat said. “We got them from Lowe’s.”

The entire project incorporated reading, writing, science and technology lessons, Judd said.

“They did a ton of research and we really wanted to them to realize the power of using resources in their community,” she said.

Third-graders Fiona Lazaro and Bella Edmonds later read to the assembled visitors an essay they wrote on how they developed their project over the year.

Next year, Edmonds said, they may install bee boxes, too.

“We’re running out of time, but at least we’re going to keep a few students next year,” Edmonds said.

It’s more than a few kids, Strong said, because the second-graders will become third-graders who help the next class of second-graders learn about bees, and the knowledge will continue to be passed down.

“They all know they are stewards for their entire career at Penny Creek,” Strong said.

Chris Winters: 425-374-4165; cwinters@heraldnet.com. Twitter: @Chris_At_Herald.

Talk to us

More in Local News

Marysville firefighters respond to a 12-year-old boy who fell down a well Tuesday May 30, 2023 in Marysville, Washington. (Photo provided by Marysville Fire District)
Marysville firefighters save boy who fell 20 feet into well

The 12-year-old child held himself up by grabbing on to a plastic pipe while firefighters worked to save him.

Highway 9 is set to be closed in both directions for a week as construction crews build a roundabout at the intersection with Vernon Road. (Washington State Department of Transportation)
Weeklong closure coming to Highway 9 section in Lake Stevens

Travelers should expect delays or find another way from Friday to Thursday between Highway 204 and Lundeen Parkway.

Students arriving off the bus get in line to score some waffles during a free pancake and waffle breakfast at Lowell Elementary School on Friday, May 26, 2023, in Everett, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
800 free pancakes at Everett’s Lowell Elementary feed the masses

The annual breakfast was started to connect the community and the school, as well as to get people to interact.

Marysville Mayor Jon Nehring speaks at the groundbreaking event for the I-5/SR 529 Interchange project on Tuesday, May 23, 2023 in Marysville, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
$123M project starting on Highway 529 interchange, I-5 HOV lane

A reader wondered why the highway had a lane closure despite not seeing work done. Crews were waiting on the weather.

Justin Bell was convicted earlier this month of first-degree assault for a December 2017 shooting outside a Value Village in Everett. (Caleb Hutton / Herald file)
Court: Snohomish County jurors’ opaque masks didn’t taint verdict

During the pandemic, Justin Bell, 32, went on trial for a shooting. Bell claims his right to an impartial jury was violated.

Gary Fontes uprights a tree that fell over in front of The Fontes Manor — a miniature handmade bed and breakfast — on Friday, May 12, 2023, at his home near Silver Lake in Everett, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
Everett’s mini-Frank Lloyd Wright builds neighborhood of extra tiny homes

A tiny lighthouse, a spooky mansion and more: Gary Fontes’ miniature world of architectural wonders is one-twelfth the size of real life.

Will Steffener
Inslee appoints Steffener as Superior Court judge

Attorney Will Steffener will replace Snohomish County Superior Court Judge Janice Ellis, who is retiring in June.

Mountlake Terrace Library, part of the Sno-Isle Libraries, in Mountlake Terrace, Washington on Thursday, June 1, 2023. (Annie Barker / The Herald)
Sno-Isle workers cite safety, unfilled positions in union push

Workers also pointed to inconsistent policies and a lack of a say in decision-making. Leadership says they’ve been listening.

A view over the Port of Everett Marina looking toward the southern Whidbey Island fault zone in March 2021. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Snohomish County agencies to simulate major disaster

The scenario will practice the response to an earthquake or tsunami. Dozens of agencies will work with pilots.

Most Read