A group of middle school students in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn, traded school supplies for gardening tools this Earth Month, creating the neighborhood’s first pollinator garden.
Students from M.S. 407 spent the day planting native flowers at John J. Carty Park, aiming to attract bees, butterflies and other pollinators while improving the surrounding environment.
“I think the lesson is to always take care of our land, not to only build things for us, but to also build healthier things for the environment,” said Emma Elzaroui, 12.
The project’s goals
The project, which also includes a bird bath, was designed to support pollinators that play a critical role in ecosystems and food production.
“Seventy-five percent of fruits plants and vegetables all need pollinators to survive,” said Ilan Sanchez, 11.
The idea for the garden began with a city grant awarded to the school’s science teacher, Cindy Scognamillo, who said the effort aligns with a larger initiative.
“New York City is really trying to up the amount of pollinator gardens in the five boroughs, especially due to climate change,” Scognamillo said.
Students played a major role in planning and execution
Before the transformation, the space was bare and unused. Now, it is filled with flowering plants intended to provide food and habitat for pollinating species.
School leaders said students played a major role in researching and designing the garden.
“A lot of the work that the kids did behind the scenes was using their time to research the needs of the area, to build out this space that you see here,” said Principal Stephen Lombardo.
According to officials, there are only 23 official pollinator gardens on park property citywide, eight of them in Brooklyn. The new garden brings that total in the borough to nine.
The students plan to hold a ribbon-cutting ceremony with city leaders on Earth Day. Shortly after planting, their first visitors had already arrived, as bumblebees were spotted buzzing around the newly planted flowers.
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