The McKendree. Trash to Treasures Compost and

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1 The McKendree Elementary Trash to Treasures Compost and Pollinator STEAM Project Proposal by: Toye Powell, McKendree Elementary, Gwinnett County Public Schools 1600 Riverside Parkway Lawrenceville, GA 30043

2 OVERVIEW McKendree Elementary School (MKES) would like to establish a sustainable pollinator and vegetable garden that uses environmentally sound practices. Since close to 63% percent of students at MKES receive free and reduced lunch, we wanted to give the students the opportunity to take home fresh food grown from a school garden located at McKendree Elementary. Also, we wanted to expose the students to the intricate and educational process of composting and animal pollination through various STEAM activities. Therefore, we want to introduce the students to the Trash to Treasures Compost and Pollinator STEAM Project. In our school improvement plan at MKES, it is expected for all grade levels to make at least a 10% to 15% increase on District Assessments and State-Mandated Tests in all subject areas. Therefore, this project can aid in accomplishing this goal since it encompasses all subject areas. The MKES Trash to Treasures Compost and Pollinator Project will have positive long-lasting outcomes at MKES. GOALS We have several goals for this STEAM project. The first goal is to create a pollinator garden to help with the dwindling population of bees, butterflies, and other pollinators that help certain plants produce food. The second goal is to have a compost bin. We would like to use the vegetable scraps from the cafeteria. In the second project, we would like to establish an interactive composting bin using raw vegetable scraps that will decompose and aid in the school garden thriving. The third goal is to send the students home with fresh food and give them knowledge regarding where food comes from. Our major learning goal for the Trash to Treasures project is to teach students using interactive lessons that match the Georgia Standards of Excellence and the Gwinnett County Schools Academic Knowledge and Skills (AKS), as well as provide the students with nourishing food. DETAILED PROJECT DESCRIPTION McKendree Elementary is a Title I school where many children lack basic experiences that contribute to environmental awareness. Our initial survey found that many of our students have little or no understanding of where items such as milk or tomatoes come from. The project will help the students learn where their basic food necessities come from. Composting will help the students have a true understanding of recycling and reusing material 1

3 in the school garden. A butterfly garden will help the students comprehend the symbiotic relationship between native Georgia plants and butterflies. A pre-test and post-test will be given to determine if the students have gained at least 70% or higher in their knowledge of vegetation growth and recycling knowledge. Our school will use data from the Gwinnett County Schools district assessments and from the Georgia Milestones state-mandated test to ensure student success. This is why we truly need these projects at McKendree Elementary. EDUCATIONAL AND ENVIORMENTAL BENEFITS This STEAM project will have several educational benefits. These include the following: Educational Benefit 1: The students will investigate the characteristics and identify the basic needs of living things by observing the life cycle of living things. The students will develop life skills including, cooperation, diligence, and the care for others through development of this project. Additionally, the students will use their knowledge of area and perimeter, as well as other mathematics skills to plan the garden. Educational Benefit 2: The students will observe and record changes in their surroundings and infer the causes of the changes. They will also develop reading, writing, math, science and social studies skills through real-world experiences. Educational Benefit 3: The students will learn to identify ways to protect the environment, conserve resources, and use recycling of materials. In addition, they will gain a better understanding of various habitats in Georgia. Educational Benefit 4: The students will identify the roles of producers, consumers, and decomposers in a living community. The interdependence of life will be investigated using the composting bins and butterfly garden. Educational Benefit 5: The students will study artists such as Georgia O Keefe or Claude Monet to implement natural beauty projects that will enhance the school and garden. There will be environmental benefits to our project. These include the following: Environmental Benefit 1: This project will promote a school recycling program to foster an ecological understanding of outdoor habitats. Environmental Benefit 2: The students will develop a better understanding of both natural and man-made fertilizers and gain insight into the role humans play in shaping the environment. Environmental Benefit 3: A group of teachers, parents and students that are focused on environmental awareness will be formed. They will create and implement lessons and projects about environmental awareness. 2

4 Environmental Benefit 4: The students will learn, teach, and share proper conservation practices. In addition, they will learn how live organisms can contribute to the environment. PROJECT SUSTAINABILITY The MKES Trash to Treasures STEAM project will have lasting value for years to come. The items that will be ordered will be top-notch items that will not require yearly replacement. We will purchase durable composting bins and perennial plants. Also, we would buy a butterfly house to aid in species protection. The untreated wood butterfly house will have openings that are the ideal size for keeping butterflies protected from the wind and the potential harsh weather. Local organizations will be contacted to help maintain the garden during the school year and through the summer months. A local Girl or Boy Scout Troop, a 4-H Club, Beta Club members, and local community members will be used the help sustain the garden. They will water and cut foliage that may need to be trimmed. They will rotate the composting bin and add moisture when needed. A rotation will be made to ensure that both projects are monitored by volunteers. In addition, a master gardener and a local plant nursery will be contacted to aid with further sustainability suggestions or any obstacles that may arise. Several teachers at the school will get training through the Georgia Department of Natural Resources. Training will have a cost that is nominal. This training in wildlife education and conservation workshop will help teachers gain further knowledge to maintain the garden and to be an on-site resource for the composting and butterfly garden projects. PROJECT COSTS The total price for both projects cost $1,500. In the composting project, 2 plastic composting bins that are made from 100% recycled plastic will be used. These durable bins cost $99.95 per bin. Due to the large quantity of students, we felt that two bins are needed. We plan to purchase 2 orders of red wiggler worms for the composting bins. The cost to ship and deliver one pound of worms is $29.95 per pound. Our intention is to have enough worms for both composting bins. I priced shredded newspaper at $ However, the local newspaper can be contacted to get old newspapers so we can shred them for free. The food scraps will be at no cost since we will collect food scraps from the cafeteria. In our second project, we will order natural cedarraised bed garden beds. Using a cedar-raised bed will ensure a 10 year longevity for our butterfly garden project. The cost for 1 durable cedar bed is $ However, we can contact a local homebuilder to see if they have leftover wood to build the raised bed ourselves to lower costs. The plants we 3

5 will use are 10 milkweeds for the cost of $11.99 each and 5 butterfly bushes for $ We plan to buy organic soil for $8.99 a bag since the composting soil will not be ready yet. Also, we plan to purchase a recycled water hose $12.86 and an untreated wood butterfly house for $ However, the students can make several of these using recycled materials for free. The price for other garden tools with the butterfly house included is $ This will includes the following: several resource texts for organic gardening, 3 shovels, 2 plastic recycled watering cans made from 100% recycled plastic, 10 child size and 10 adult size gloves, 4 buckets made from 100% recycled materials, 2 pair of pruning shears, and 1 roll of organic weed control fabric, and art and paint supplies. Our major purchase goals will be to buy recycled or organic materials. We can use the school camera/video camera to ensure the low cost of the technology portion of our purchases. All items will have great educational value due to the fact each item can be used as hands-on materials the students can use for each project. PROJECT DELIVERABLES We plan to share our best practices by documenting all aspects of the McKendree Elementary Trash to Treasures project. We plan to take pictures of the start of each project. A committee of parents and teachers will have the duty of taking pictures/videos. Step-by-step photos/videos will be taken in order to document the composting process. The photographs will give step-by-step instructions regarding what to do first, next, and last. The students will research the various butterfly species that are native to the Piedmont region of Georgia. They will create their own plans for the garden with the help of the master gardener and their research. When planting the butterfly garden we will take pictures/videos of the planting process and list the types of plants we are using for the project. As the garden grows, photos will be taken in order to document that the butterfly garden is thriving. Furthermore, we plan to make a photo schedule to ensure that the growth or changes in each project are completely recorded. We also plan to have a link on the McKendree Elementary website that will provide lesson plans and gardening tips. We will ensure these lesson plans will connect to the Georgia Standards of Excellence and the Gwinnett County Academic Knowledge and Skills (AKS). CLOSING The community, students, and teachers will benefit from the Trash to Treasures Compost and Pollinator Project. This project will have a major impact academically and environmentally. Furthermore, this project will have proven success because the teacher submitting this project, Toye Powell was a garden club leader and managed a school garden at a previous elementary. We truly hope you will support our project and we hope to hear 4

6 5 from you soon! Thank you for taking the time to read this and help us in our endeavors at McKendree Elementary.