Pollinator Garden Planting at Sickles High School

  • Location
    Tampa, Florida
  • Status
    Complete
  • Age Level
    14 to 18 Years

The Problem

Update: This project was updated to become a pollinator garden. In response to a pressing need for better environmental practices, Sickles High School is embarking on a project aimed at planting trees on campus. Students have expressed concern about the lack of green spaces and wanted to take charge. This initiative serves to beautify the school while contributing to broader environmental conservation efforts. The addition of trees will mitigate air pollution on school grounds. Trees play a crucial role in carbon sequestration (as learned in AP Environmental Science) by absorbing carbon dioxide. Through planting trees at Sickles, it’s one step towards mitigating the effects of climate change by reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Planting trees also fosters biodiversity and creates opportunities for educational initiatives centered around environmental science, enriching the academic experience for students. Green spaces have even been linked to reduced stress levels and enhanced cognitive function, contributing to students’ overall well-being!

Our Plan

The implementation of the tree planting project will be led by members of the Sickles Student Government (SGA), empowering young leaders to take an active role in environmental advocacy. SGA representatives will be involved in collaborating with administration to develop a planting plan, as well as involving community partners such as the UF/IFAS Extension Office in Hillsborough County or the Florida Native Plant Society to assist in the selection of trees for our space. Through participation in tree-planting, students involved will foster a sense of ownership and pride that they contributed to bettering the environment at their school. By involving young people in this process, Sickles is cultivating an environmental conscious and empowering the next generation to initiate positive change. The tree planting project represents a commitment to sustainability and a greener future!

Themes Addressed

  • term icon
    Air Pollution
  • term icon
    Climate Change
  • term icon
    Community Enhancement
  • term icon
    Education

The Benefit

  • term icon
    People
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    Animals
  • term icon
    Environment

Here is how the project went:

As a member of student government at my high school, I was brainstorming ways to make our school a better place. I thought I could combine something environmentally beneficial with school beautification, and my initial idea was to plant trees around school. After realizing how expensive trees are to plant, I ended up switching to planting a pollinator garden, which I ended up loving! I reached out to a local garden for knowledge and assistance, VISTA gardens, and they were so generous and even donated me some plants to start my garden. I also reached out to ACE hardware and they kindly donated wood for my raised bed, and one of my neighbors who is very good at building offered up his help. I got a bunch of student volunteers from Sickles and we spent an afternoon building and planting a pollinator garden with a raised bed. It turned out very nice, and I will monitor it over the next year and see how it grows and flourishes. I believe that any students and staff can benefit from the pollinator garden at Sickles, as they can admire its beauty and learn more about Florida native pollinator plants if they read the labels with the plant names.

Through this project I/we learned:

I reflected on the project by acknowledging how much work goes into planting a garden (from acquiring materials to the actual act of planting), and I learned a lot about different kinds of plants and how to care for a garden along the way.

What I/we might change:

If I did the project again, I would make the pollinator bed about 12 inches lower so it would require less dirt. But, it really did turn out beautiful!

My/our favorite part of this project was:

My favorite part was seeing all that hard work come together in the end.

Some tips, tricks or fun facts about the project:

It can be scary to launch a brand new idea from scratch. But, with perseverance, dedication and hard work, you can make any project come to life.

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