School’s in bloom

Ankle deep in soil, each fourth-grader at Mill Creek Elementary mapped, planted, drew and photographed their own native plant last week.

During the next several months and years, potentially, they will watch their plants change and grow. And through this project and the hard work of parents, environmental awareness at Mill Creek also is blooming.

Fourth-graders spend time learning about Washington state in social studies, and that includes explorers Meriwether Lewis and William Clark. With this curriculum already in place, parent Rachelle Gehrig was able to make the connection with this hands-on gardening project.

Gehrig, who used to teach at Silver Firs Elementary, noticed one day that the courtyard at Mill Creek could use some cleaning up. After pulling weeds and tidying the area in general, Gehrig received positive feedback and decided to get others involved.

Students, volunteers and Gehrig set to work on Feb. 9 to plant their “Lewis and Clark Garden.”

“(Each student) adopted a plant that was native to the Northwest,” Gehrig said.

The garden also features a dry riverbed and steel sculptures of the life cycle of salmon, which was created by artist Tom Gudgel.

Teacher Ann Carlton said the students are keeping field notes. They’ve mapped the location, taken measurements, drawn pictures and had their picture taken with their plant.

“It has really incorporated well with our social studies, our math and our sciences,” Carlton said.

Not only are subjects being connected, but Gehrig and fellow parent Laura Main’s plans have also brought together the community.

Mill Creek Elementary’s Parent Teacher Association now has a committee supporting the parents’ ideas, and the Mill Creek Garden Club donated $1,000 to help.

Gehrig partnered with Snohomish County’s Surface Water Management Division, which assists educational programs.

Roger Kelley, a youth education program manager with the county, visited the school and helped with the plans. The county and local nurseries donated materials and plants for the project.

The county program typically educates students on water quality, salmon restoration and other environmental concerns, and Kelley said one stipulation for the Lewis and Clark Garden was that it must be used “as a teaching tool, not just a garden.”

Mill Creek Elementary teachers Carlton, Kathy Tobin and Mark Hashimoto are having no problem drawing parallels with their curriculum and the garden.

“The kids get to observe this over time, and they took ownership of the plans,” Tobin said. The students were asked to do Internet research on their plant species and will write a descriptive summary with their findings, she said.

“They really seem to have enthusiasm for it,” Carlton said.

Once or twice a month, Gehrig is at the school weeding and receiving a hand from students during recess.

“It’s all children that are there because they want to be there,” Gehrig said.

In addition these projects, a Girl Scout troop, a Cub Scout troop and families have adopted specific areas of the school that they are maintaining on their own, Gehrig said.

No stranger to big ideas, Gehrig organized a native plant garden in the courtyard for the second-grade classes last year.

Her energy and support for teachers has been an asset and a positive example for students, Carlton said.

“An idea and one or two people can make such a difference,” Carlton said. “It infuses kids with energy when they see there’s a purpose and an outcome.”