April showers brought out more than flowers at Churchville-Chili’s Chestnut Ridge Elementary School on April 4. Earthworms covered the wet sidewalks, and the first-graders were curious about their welfare: Were they drowning? Luckily, worm expert Ted Miller from vermicomposting company Worm Power was on hand to answer their questions. (No, they actually like the moisture; it makes it easier for worms to move faster).
All the interest in worms was natural, as these students are studying earthworms and raising red worms in compact vermicomposters, located in every first-grade classroom. Along with raising the worms, they have been learning how to develop questioning skills, form hypotheses, and learn from research and observation.
Why are earthworms important to the environment and to humans? What do they need to survive? Students are reading, researching food chains and life stages, and designing science experiments around the humble worm.
They are also making an important contribution to the school district’s community garden project. The organic compost made by their red worms will fertilize the gardens this spring.
The district’s community garden broke ground three years ago, with help from all district schools and grade levels. Planned by fifth- and sixth-graders at the Middle School, planted with seeds started by Life Skills classes at the High School and students at Churchville Elementary, with raised beds and a garden shed designed and built by math and technology students, the site even features a butterfly garden designed by Fairbanks Road students. Every learning project was built into corresponding standard grade level curricula, from algebra and geometry to science, biology, chemistry, technology, even English and communications.
“It’s a big commitment to our district’s philosophy of Project Based Learning (PBL),” said Middle School teacher Patti Saucke, who helped spearhead the garden project, along with Instructional Coach Andrea Lynch and many other teachers and volunteers. “Our teachers are creating memorable educational experiences for our kids, and our students gain both academic knowledge and life skills that will help them excel throughout their lives and careers. Plus, they get to enjoy the occasional strawberry or tomato fresh from their own garden.”
The garden project has been supported by grants and by many businesses and members of the community, including vermicomposting company Worm Power, www.wormpower.net. It is the largest process-controlled producer of worm-worked materials and castings in the Western Hemisphere with products certified for use in organic production.
The district will soon look for volunteers of all ages to help maintain, water, and weed the community garden over the summer. Sign-up on the district website at www.cccsd.org/garden.
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