Devoted readers of River Journal may remember an article about the Mayor’s Monarch Pledge, published late last year, which highlighted the steep decline in monarch butterflies specifically, and pollinating insects generally.
For one impressive group of 3rd and 4th graders at Todd Elementary in Briarcliff, this piece, and another on PRNewsWire, tipped the balance when deciding on a project they would undertake for Destination Imagination [DI], a global non-profit which “works to inspire young people to imagine and innovate today so they become the creative and collaborative leaders of tomorrow.”
Having stumbled on DI, these six children – Ayaan Makam, Kaya Gebicki, Olivia Zeng, Rohan Gounder, Vincent Zhang and Ethan Zhang – were keen to participate in its Service Learning Challenge competition, and, with various parents’ support, they set up their own independent team, The Briarcliff Bears.
As Deepthi Makam, Ayaan’s mother, explained, “The foundation that [DI] plays building skill sets for the kids, when it comes to project management, time management, how to go about decision-making using tools like decision trees, matrices, these are essential life skills for the children to try in a professional world.”
So the Bears set about choosing their Service Learning project, which included visits to the fire department and other locations, in search of an idea that would fit the STEAM challenge and then be presented at a tournament. It was the press articles, and the realization of what a world without pollinators would mean, that really excited the young minds and guided their decision to work to save insects, birds and mammals.
When asked about this choice, the kids answered, in very adult fashion: “Pollinators are not just important; they are crucial. … They help pollinate healthy foods, medicines, and other resources. … Without pollinators, the human race, the plants and animals we depend on would not survive. … Our actions matter. By planting a native garden that provides flowers from spring to fall, avoiding pesticide use, and building bug hotels or shelters for pollinators in winter, we can significantly and positively impact pollinator populations’ health.”
The Bears set about their research online and in person, including visiting Westchester Land Trust, Hilltop Hanover Farm, and a beekeeper’s backyard. Then they identified three simple actions other kids can take to help pollinators: 1. Build bug hotels, 2. Ask adults to not use pesticides, and 3. Plant native plants like milkweed, and cone flowers to help local pollinators.
Kaya and Vincent built an illustrative monarch butterfly out of disposable plastic spoons fired by a Lego motor that enabled the wings to flap. The group also created surveys and wrote a comic skit, before engaging schools, after-school programs, and Girl Scouts, to teach the role of native pollinators. Aiming to address 400 children, they reached 326, and will go back to them in the spring to check on their pledges.
Then, in early March, the Bears will take their project to the East Region DI tournament, where they’ll compete with 40 other local teams. If successful, they’ll move on to the state round and beyond that – fingers crossed – the global tournament in Kansas in May.
Projects which help students understand problems, ask better questions, come up with solutions, and celebrate their achievements seem like a good way to go. And if the planet is saved in the process, who’s complaining?
