Planting the seeds for success at RPS Students celebrate opening of new butterfly garden BY JENNIFER KOHLHEPP Staff Writer Students used trowels instead of pencils to make their marks in soil instead of on paper. JEFF GRANIT staff Roosevelt Public School students celebrated Earth Day and Arbor Day on April 24 by planting flowers on school grounds. Fourth-grader Trace Buttry (l) and fifth-grader Eric Diamonte work together to put Sorbet Coconut Swirl violas in the new butterfly garden. Under a clear, blue expanse and rays of warm sunshine, Roosevelt Public School students celebrated Earth Day and Arbor Day on April 24 in their new garden on school grounds. Classes planted Sorbet Coconut Swirl violas in the freshly formed flowerbeds oriented to the cardinal directions around the school's flagpole. Fourth-grader Logan Vest, 10, said, "The garden is a lot of work but it's better than doing spelling and stuff. Who cares about the bugs? It's fun to come outdoors and run around in the garden." Principal Shari Payson said the garden, a multiage activity that gives children the experience of working cooperatively together, is a wonderful addition to the school. JEFF GRANIT staff Roosevelt Public School students look into the new butterfly garden on the grounds of their school during a dedication ceremony on April 24. "It is a tremendous learning experience for children and connects the school to jobs that they can go into when they are older like scientist, naturalist, and environmentalist," she said. Payson also noted that the project is an extension of the Roosevelt culture, which is "very environmentally conscientious." "With all of the concerns about going green, global warming and protecting the ozone, children at this young age should be aware - on their level - of what is occurring," Payson said. "They should know that one person can help the environment. If children learn this and become interested at a young age, they will want to plant and use environmentally safe products for the rest of their lives." Payson said the garden also teaches youths to "stop and smell the roses." "It's important for them to appreciate the environment they live in, to embrace it and to look around and to see what a great area it is that they live in and to intrinsically want to keep it that way," Payson said. The garden measures 40 feet in diameter with 8-foot sections, according to Eric Vuolle, a Roosevelt resident who volunteered his weekend along with resident Tom Curry and their sons to create the living classroom for students to enjoy during the height of planting season. "It was a lot of work but it was enjoyable," Vuolle said. "The garden will help students develop a love for plants and an understanding of the butterfly life cycle." Although community members, the Board of Education, the borough's Environmental Commission, local landscaper Mark Roberts, the school's administration and teachers were credited with helping the project along, the garden would have never come to fruition without the passion and dedication of teacher Ilene Levine. To promote teachings regarding science, nature and the environment, Levine wrote a grant proposal to The National Gardening Association (NGA), based in Burlington, Vt. seeking funds for the garden. The NGA selected Roosevelt Public School's gardening project from more than 700 programs proposed nationwide to receive a 2008 Youth Garden Grant in the amount of $500. In addition, the garden project received additional funding from an anonymous donor, according to Levine. Students will mostly plant seedlings that attract butterflies in the garden, including annuals such as marigolds, zinnias, Mexican sunflowers, cosmos, parsley, dill and tropical milkweed and perennials such as swamp and common milkweed, butterfly weed, Joe-Pye weed, purple coneflower, aster and phlox. The idea for the butterfly garden sprung forth from a personal trip to a garden center where Levine noticed some parsley crawling with caterpillars. Thinking of her students, Levine bought all of the parsley so they could watch the critters' transformation into butterflies. In later years, she bought caterpillar eggs from Florida but decided last year, "If we plant a butterfly garden, the butterflies will come to us." Fifth-grader Alyssa Husko, 10, said she thinks the garden will help Monarch butterflies in their migration from the north to the south. "I think it will be really good for all of the butterflies coming from Canada on their way to Florida," Alyssa said. "Here they can stop and rest for a little while before they continue their trip."F ifth-grade teacher Holly Pappas said students truly appreciate seeing nature. "It's one thing to learn in a book and another to see it out here," she said. Debbie Curry, who attended the garden dedication with her son Sean, a fourth-grader, said, "The project really brought a lot of people together outside, which is a great thing if you ask me. It's something that students can build on throughout the years." Levine said she hopes students and the community at large will enjoy the butterflies, bees, colors and flowers in the new garden. In further recognition of Earth Day and Arbor Day, students planted sonic lilacs and fiesta ole rose near the front sidewalk and pink geraniums and white petunias around the school's sign. They also pitched in to clean up school grounds and identified the trees on the property.