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Students dig Earth Day
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NEWS-TIMES
CHERYL BURKE
CAPE CARTERET — From planting rain gardens and flowers to cleaning up school campuses, county students discovered Wednesday that going green for Earth Day could actually be fun.
Earth Day, celebrated in the United States on April 22, is designed to inspire awareness and appreciation for the environment, and students at White Oak Elementary and Beaufort Middle schools did just that.
Fifth-graders at White Oak Elementary School joined with the N.C. Coastal Federation and volunteers from Wal-Mart to plant a rain garden in front of their school. Students at Beaufort Middle planted flowers and two trees, and cleaned up their school campus.
Donning a T-shirt that stated, “I love rain gardens” and “tough guys garden,” White Oak fifth-grader Ben Egerton was among students planting a rain garden in front of the school.
“A rain garden helps the environment by using native plants to help filter the rain coming out of the gutters before it goes into the creek,” Ben said.
Rain gardens, also known as bioretention areas, are small depressions planted with native trees, shrubs, grasses and flowers that capture and infiltrate stormwater runoff before it enters nearby waterways. In addition, the gardens assist with coastal flooding.
With Deer Creek running along the eastern border of the school, students discovered they could make a difference by something as simple as planting native plants.
Lexia Weaver with the N.C. Coastal Federation said the federation has four rain gardens under way at area schools, with two in Carteret County. Volunteers installed a second rain garden Thursday at Smyrna School and installed two at schools in Havelock.
“The rain gardens provide students with opportunities for hands-on science and promote a sense of environmental stewardship,” she said. “Rain gardens also provide aesthetically pleasing landscaping, natural habitat for birds, insects and other wildlife, and promote sustainable design practices while encouraging environmental stewardship and community pride.”
Sarah Phillips, outreach specialist with the Coastal Federation, said she has worked with students all year in preparation for the Wednesday planting.
“We’ve talked with students about stormwater runoff, water quality and the use of native plants,” she said. “The planting is the culmination of the yearlong study.”
The Morehead City Wal-Mart store funded the rain garden project, which cost about $15,000 and included planning and design, construction, purchase of plants and materials. Sixteen volunteers from area Wal-Mart stores were on hand to assist students with the planting.
“Our company is going toward personal sustainability,” said Leigh Anne Fletcher, co-manager of Wal-Mart in Morehead City. “We want to help out the environment and do as much as we can to preserve it for future generations.”
Mindi Waterman, academically and intellectually gifted (AIG) specialist with the county school system, worked with the Coastal Federation to arrange the rain garden planting.
She said the 14 students selected to assist with the Wednesday planting were chosen based on an essay they wrote about being a friend of the environment. The students will also train younger students how to take care of the garden next year.
“It’s important to start teaching kids at an early age that there are simple things you can do to help our planet,” she said.
Beaufort Middle School students learned that lesson, too, as they planted flowers, trees and cleaned up their campus.
Students in Karen Davis’ eighth-grade biology classes were busy pulling weeds, planting flowers and cleaning out flowerbeds. They also planted a live oak and river birch tree to beautify the campus.
“This is all in conjunction with teaching kids to respect, preserve and conserve our natural resources,” said Ms. Davis.
As eighth-grader Tyler Eubanks cleaned out flowerbeds, he said, “It’s good to help the earth. We’ve been talking about global warming, recycling and helping the environment. And just one person can make a difference.”
He added that individuals could help the environment by recycling, buying products that don’t use a lot of packaging and using energy efficient light bulbs.
Eighth-grader Chris Halstead said planting trees was another way to help the environment.
“They give off oxygen and that’s good for the environment,” he said.
Eighth-grader Brittany Lewis said she enjoyed cleaning up the campus.
“I liked observing Earth Day because we need to give back,” she said.
(For more photos, see the online gallery)
CAPE CARTERET — From planting rain gardens and flowers to cleaning up school campuses, county students discovered Wednesday that going green for Earth Day could actually be fun.
Earth Day, celebrated in the United States on April 22, is designed to inspire awareness and appreciation for the environment, and students at White Oak Elementary and Beaufort Middle schools did just that.
Fifth-graders at White Oak Elementary School joined with the N.C. Coastal Federation and volunteers from Wal-Mart to plant a rain garden in front of their school. Students at Beaufort Middle planted flowers and two trees, and cleaned up their school campus.
Donning a T-shirt that stated, “I love rain gardens” and “tough guys garden,” White Oak fifth-grader Ben Egerton was among students planting a rain garden in front of the school.
“A rain garden helps the environment by using native plants to help filter the rain coming out of the gutters before it goes into the creek,” Ben said.
Rain gardens, also known as bioretention areas, are small depressions planted with native trees, shrubs, grasses and flowers that capture and infiltrate stormwater runoff before it enters nearby waterways. In addition, the gardens assist with coastal flooding.
With Deer Creek running along the eastern border of the school, students discovered they could make a difference by something as simple as planting native plants.
Lexia Weaver with the N.C. Coastal Federation said the federation has four rain gardens under way at area schools, with two in Carteret County. Volunteers installed a second rain garden Thursday at Smyrna School and installed two at schools in Havelock.
“The rain gardens provide students with opportunities for hands-on science and promote a sense of environmental stewardship,” she said. “Rain gardens also provide aesthetically pleasing landscaping, natural habitat for birds, insects and other wildlife, and promote sustainable design practices while encouraging environmental stewardship and community pride.”
Sarah Phillips, outreach specialist with the Coastal Federation, said she has worked with students all year in preparation for the Wednesday planting.
“We’ve talked with students about stormwater runoff, water quality and the use of native plants,” she said. “The planting is the culmination of the yearlong study.”
The Morehead City Wal-Mart store funded the rain garden project, which cost about $15,000 and included planning and design, construction, purchase of plants and materials. Sixteen volunteers from area Wal-Mart stores were on hand to assist students with the planting.
“Our company is going toward personal sustainability,” said Leigh Anne Fletcher, co-manager of Wal-Mart in Morehead City. “We want to help out the environment and do as much as we can to preserve it for future generations.”
Mindi Waterman, academically and intellectually gifted (AIG) specialist with the county school system, worked with the Coastal Federation to arrange the rain garden planting.
She said the 14 students selected to assist with the Wednesday planting were chosen based on an essay they wrote about being a friend of the environment. The students will also train younger students how to take care of the garden next year.
“It’s important to start teaching kids at an early age that there are simple things you can do to help our planet,” she said.
Beaufort Middle School students learned that lesson, too, as they planted flowers, trees and cleaned up their campus.
Students in Karen Davis’ eighth-grade biology classes were busy pulling weeds, planting flowers and cleaning out flowerbeds. They also planted a live oak and river birch tree to beautify the campus.
“This is all in conjunction with teaching kids to respect, preserve and conserve our natural resources,” said Ms. Davis.
As eighth-grader Tyler Eubanks cleaned out flowerbeds, he said, “It’s good to help the earth. We’ve been talking about global warming, recycling and helping the environment. And just one person can make a difference.”
He added that individuals could help the environment by recycling, buying products that don’t use a lot of packaging and using energy efficient light bulbs.
Eighth-grader Chris Halstead said planting trees was another way to help the environment.
“They give off oxygen and that’s good for the environment,” he said.
Eighth-grader Brittany Lewis said she enjoyed cleaning up the campus.
“I liked observing Earth Day because we need to give back,” she said.
(For more photos, see the online gallery)
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