By JAN LARSON McLAUGHLIN
BG Independent News
Bowling Green students will soon have an excuse to get their hands dirty at school. The district is teaming up with Toledo Zoo and Aquarium to create prairies outside two school buildings.
Jodi Anderson, secondary curriculum coordinator for BG schools, described the outdoor learning opportunity that will be funded by the Toledo Zoo and Aquarium – and free to the district.
Two one-quarter acre sites will be installed on the grounds of the Middle School and Kenwood Elementary, with the possibility of additional prairie sites in the future.
“Students and teachers can walk literally right out the door” and be in a prairie, Anderson said.
Students will study prairie habitats, develop a stronger connection to the local ecology, contribute to existing knowledge through data collection, and view themselves as part of the solution to conservation-related problems and climate resilience.
Students will be involved in the later stages of installation. Teachers will receive professional development by Toledo Zoo staff on site or at the zoo.
Native prairies increase pollinator populations, create habitat and food sources for species, reduce runoff and upkeep, and decrease carbon dioxide. These sites will also provide connections to other local sites that encourage pollinators.
“Citizen science” is an opportunity to contribute data such as species counts to real-world research projects in collaboration with professional scientists in the global research community.
Students from Crim Elementary learned about “citizen science” last year when they used the INaturalist app to record species they observed at Wintergarden Woods.
“Technology makes it really easy for students to join the global network of scientists,” Anderson said.
Anderson cautioned that growing a prairie will be a slow process.
“I will encourage everyone to be patient. It is not going to look pretty” when installed. In fact, it may take about three years before it’s a true prairie. Anderson said she is tempted to install signs at the prairie plots, saying – “Prairie in progress, please be patient.”
The prairie installation, including the elimination of existing vegetation and initial seeding will take place this summer through spring of 2023. Toledo Zoo staff will lead students and staff in planting small prairie plants in the spring and summer of 2023.
Then in the fall of 2023 and beyond, the zoo staff will provide Project Prairie professional development for teachers at Kenwood Elementary and the Middle School. The zoo education staff will also work on Project Prairie programming at each school.
Also at Tuesday’s school board meeting, Debra Ondrus, coordinator of student wellness, talked about the district’s “Fill the Gap Meal Program.”
The program provides students with a box to take home on Fridays, containing two pre-packaged shelf-stable breakfasts, two lunches and two dinners to get them through the weekend.
The program is offered at the three elementaries to families who meet the income-based eligibility. According to Ondrus, 77% of the eligible students participate in the program.
The food is provided by the Children’s Hunger Alliance, which purchases the food, assembles the meals, and delivers them to school districts.
Bowling Green initially had a dilemma of where it would store all the boxes of meals.
“We are very lucky in Bowling Green to have people ready and willing to help,” Ondrus said.
She recognized Pastor Arnie Buehler and Heidi Coppeler, at Alliance Church, for assisting with the meals for Crim students. So far this year, the church has handled 1,134 boxes.
Lori Hines and Crystal Gambill, of Work Leads to Independence, were recognized for handling meals for Conneaut and Kenwood elementaries – 1,890 boxes this year.
“Both of these organizations are doing it out of love and are not charging one penny,” Ondrus said.
