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NHS Pollinator Project Blossoms, Showcases Conservation Progress at School Board Meeting
October, 2024 - Three Sherrard High School National Honor Society (NHS) members, Max Serre, Maya Haynes and Olivia Szpek gave an update on the ongoing Pollinator Conservation Project during the October school board meeting.
Students launched this long-term initiative in 2021 to create a thriving habitat for pollinators - bees and butterflies - by transforming open land on school grounds into native plant sanctuaries.
The NHS members shared the origins of the project, approved during the 2021-2022 school year, which began with identifying two plots of land on the junior high and senior high campuses for conservation efforts. By November 2022, the students, alongside community members including Sawyer Mital—an NHS graduate—and Marilyn Andress, a conservation advocate from the Guardians of the Prairie and Forest organization, seeded the first 1/2-acre plot with a rich mix of native plants, grasses, and sedges.
In the spring of 2023, the group saw the seeds they had planted flourish into a colorful bloom. The success was captured in drone flyover footage, thanks to the videography work of Brenin Krack, Sherrard Audio Visual Communications Technology Technician. Viewers could witness the transformation of the land in June 2023 and later compare it to the June 2024 flyover, which further showcased the project's growth and impact.
Looking ahead, the students explained that this project is a multi-year effort, with plans for a prescribed burn of the ½ acre plot - likely to take place in spring due to dry October weather conditions.
The burn, managed by Joel Gallaugher, Sherrard Maintenance Director - an expert in fire management, will help remove invasive species and encourage further growth of native plants.
The NHS Pollinator Conservation Project is also registered with the Homegrown National Park Biodiversity Map, joining over 50,000 other sites across the country where individuals and communities are contributing to environmental sustainability by planting native species that support pollinators and other wildlife.
As the 2024-2025 school year kicks off, the project is entering a critical phase of growth, and with continued student and community involvement, this conservation effort promises to become a permanent feature of the Sherrard school grounds—one that will benefit both the environment and future generations of students.
While the 1/2-acre plot has become a focal point of the NHS Pollinator Conservation Project, it is just one part of a larger, growing initiative. Students and community members have extended their efforts to new areas of the school grounds, demonstrating their continued commitment to creating sustainable habitats for pollinators and engaging the wider community in these efforts.
One such extension is the creation of an additional garden plot - The 18' x 18' Circle Garden Plot. NHS members, together with Marilyn Andress, her daughter Amber Schorg of the Guardians of the Prairie and Forest along with Sherrard HS alumnus Becki Wells (Rogers) who is the immediate past-president of the local chapter of the native landscape organization WildOnes, designed this plot.
According to Tom Thompson, NHS Adviser and HS Science Teacher and Science Department Instructional Leader,
“NHS members planted this plot on June 1, 2023. This plot was not seeded...rather we decided to plant native flora directly into the plot. NHS members planted over $1,000 of native plants donated to us by Marilyn Andress and the Guardians of the Prairie and Forest. Ken Hoffman and Outdoor Innovations donated the mulch for this plot. After 2 growing seasons, this plot is thriving.”
Educational Signage Installation in both plots during the Fall of 2024:
In late 2023, Thompson (along with Gallaugher) visited his sister and brother-in-law, Cathy and Steve Edwards company - Edwards Creative in Milan, to ask for them to design and create a set of educational posters to install in 2024.
“They donated all expenses toward this project and delivered one 4' x 4' and three 2'x 2' educational posters,” said Thompson.
“We plan to install the 4' x 4' sign near the 18' x 18' circle garden - we plan to install the three 2' X 2' signs on each side of the triangular shaped 1/2 acre plot. One will face out toward the parking lot, one will be facing toward adjacent FFA land and one will face the practice athletic fields nearby. We plan to install them following the prescribed burn of the 1/2 acre plot. Besides the educational purpose of the signage, we are trying to prevent others from parking their cars or dumping trash on or near the 1/2 acre plot, which we have had to deal with at times over the past two years,” he said.
Phase 2 of the Project is set to begin during the 2024-2025 school year:
“As word spread of our project on the high school grounds, we were approached by Sherrard Elementary School admin to consider adding some native plants to their grounds. We’ve come up with a plan to construct several raised plant beds near the SES building and prepare them for seeding during the Fall 2024 semester,” said Thomposn.
The NHS expects to seed the additional raised plant beds in November this year to allow the seeds to become cold-stratified in order to germinate in the Spring of 2025. It is expected that NHS members and SES personnel will maintain the plant beds during the summer months but during the school years to follow, it is expected that SES students should take an interest and responsibility for growing and maintaining these plant beds. Educational signage will also eventually be installed on the SES site.
“The project is truly a community effort. It should be noted that in addition to the individuals cited in the students’ PPT presentation and the ongoing support of NHS members, we have Sherrard families involved at the parent and grandparent level. Additionally, we have Sherrard HS alumni invested in this project as well,” said Thompson. Sherrard High School Native Pollinator Project