When our Lower School (LS) boys learned that the Monarch butterfly population has decreased almost 90% in the last two decades, our LS environmental club, the Greenhounds, decided to take action to help these amazing creatures. They decided to create a milkweed garden in which the monarchs could reproduce, grow and prepare to migrate to Mexico. In 2013 these dedicated boys cleaned a portion of land in front of the LS building and carefully planted milkweed seeds and wild flower seeds. 

It took three years for the milkweed to grow dense enough for Monarchs to lay their eggs, which hatched into beautiful caterpillars, formed their chrysalis, and eventually emerged as butterflies. There were many sightings of Monarchs flying around the LS. Now, every fall, our students enjoy watching the whole development cycle. Many LS students have gotten involved in caring for the garden. They respect the plants and the caterpillars and, when they spot the fragile chrysalis in areas where they may be exposed to damage, they make signs and tape off the area to ensure the successful birth of the bdutterflies.

The Monarchs are incorporated into the curriculum at all levels. In Science, kindergarten boys learn about symmetry, Prep-One studies the life cycle, and first and second grade students work in the garden. Boys talk about pollination and the effects of pesticides on butterflies and other pollinators. They develop their map skills on a digital map and track the Monarch migration throughout Canada and the USA and report sightings.

The garden has been a particularly good addition to the Spanish curriculum, because the Monarch butterflies migrate to the center south of Mexico every year and they are directly linked to the traditional Day of the Dead celebrations. The creation of our Monarch garden has added a real-life experience for my Spanish students, who now get so excited about their flight to Mexico, and even speak Spanish to them, wishing them well and saying goodbye!

Our garden has become a source of pride for the whole community. The boys know this garden belongs to all of them and they take responsibility for its care. Throughout September and October students check frequently on the progress of the Monarchs. They count the caterpillars and record where the chrysalis are established and when each butterfly is born. Each sighting of a butterfly is cause for cheers and celebration from adults as well as students.

Last fall we documented the size, density, and availability of water and flowers and provided the information to the Monarch Watch Foundation, which certified our garden as a Monarch Way Station! We got an official sign and a certificate, and we are now registered as a successful habitat for Monarch butterflies.

We continue to build on a cause that gives our students great pride. They have taken action to solve a problem, to help an endangered species, to learn applied science and culture, and to share in the spirit of community.

This year third grade Spanish students are also participating in a project created by another Monarch watch group, Journey North, called Symbolic Migration. Boys created a life size paper Monarch, which included their name and picture. They placed them inside a bigger ¨Ambassador¨ butterfly, designed by them, which included their class pictures and information about their school and community. These were sent to a school in Mexico that is located in the town close to the area where the Monarchs migrate, in the State of Michoacán. Our paper butterflies arrived in Mexico around the same time that the real butterflies began to appear in Michoacán, mimicking the real migration path. Once they arrived, our partner school corresponded with our students and shared their own culture, language, and thoughts about the butterflies. In turn, when the Monarchs begin their journey back north in early spring, our assigned Mexican school will be sending their paper butterflies, with their pictures and ambassador butterfly full of pictures and facts about their community, mimicking the return flight of the Monarchs back to the USA and Canada. Throughout this project the boys also learned how fast Monarchs fly, how they rest, and where they sleep. They calculated the distance in kilometers from Gilman School to Michoacán. All of this takes place while the boys learn Spanish. They have each been given a set of milkweed seeds to bring home so that they can create their own Monarch garden.

We will continue to improve our garden and welcome all Gilman students, staff and faculty to come and help, learn, or contribute to the conservation and growth of this wonderful project.

~Contributed by Lower School Spanish Teacher Cecilia Eppler