Nature Center Photo Gallery I
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the Nature Center to learn more about our project!
In the beginning ... Spring 1999

Parents, students, and local green thumbs joined forces to turn a grassy area in the front of our school into a garden. Our first job was to remove the sod from the garden spot. Thanks to the strong muscles of several volunteers and a sod cutter we were able to finish the job in one morning! We added lots of peat moss and manure to prepare the soil! Chuck Kellogg, our master gardener, assisted us in working all the good stuff into the soil.

During the next weekend, students and staff members assisted us in adding plants to the garden. Thanks to the Mason County Soil & Water Conservation District for their donation of plants as well as Mason County FS for providing a discount to help us make our garden dollars stretch!

With a little help from our 3rd grade buddies, the Nature Center had a variety of plants provide lots of color to attract some local critters to the garden. Mrs. McGrew and her class started zinnia seeds for the garden. They had a blast playing in the dirt to add their plants to the garden.

 The Nature Center garden along with an assortment of educational resources will provide endless opportunities for Havana students to explore the world around them!

Mrs. Tracy Trimpe (left) and Mrs. Cindy McGrew (right) after a morning of sod cutting and manure spreading!

Exploring the Garden ... Fall 1999

The Adopt-An-Insect unit, a schoolwide insect project, was a big hit with students and teachers! From bitty bugs to beautiful butterflies, students investigated the new garden to explore the world of the mini-beasts.

The Nature Center pond provided the resources for the Pond Water Survey, an annual 7th grade project that challenges students to identify the many creatures found in a pond environment and to estimate their populations. Students utilize a video camera and microscope to document their finds for seasonal comparisons.

Preparing for Another Season Earth Day 2000

Students and community members joined forces to celebrate Earth Day by working on garden improvements. Several students and parents worked together to create a new rock walkway. Mrs. Trimpe and her husband Dave hauled gravel and larger stones from a local quarry to use for the walkway. Mrs. Range and her husband Lance helped the students add a new liner for the pond. Mrs. Trimpe, parent volunteers, and her students used their green thumbs to add several new varieties of plants.

Volunteers spent the following weekend adding a new layer of mulch and newspaper to the garden to help prevent an abundance of weeds! In addition, Marc Trimpe, a local Boy Scout working on his Eagle Scout project, organized his troop members and added over 30 new trees to the schoolyard for the Living Tree Collection! Thanks to the Nature Conservancy for the donation of trees for this project!

Thanks to the Emiquon Audubon Society for their donation of money and materials for our For The Birds program. We built bluebird houses and purchased bird feeders! We hope to add more bird houses to the schoolyard in the future!

Go to Photo Gallery II