There is a space in our school that has not been used in a long time. The courtyard between the elementary wing and the fifth and sixth grade hall is waiting for a good use. Sixth grade and the Freedom Middle Science Club are going to improve this courtyard by making it into a Monarch Waystation, a pumpkin patch, an aquatic greenhouse, and an area for a chicken coop. A student seating area will also be added to provide places to sit. Ms. Jeannine Ging, sixth grade science and math teacher, applied for a $5,000 grant to get this plan in action.

A Monarch Waystation can be used to raise monarch butterflies and give them a place to live. Sixth grade will hatch monarchs and tag them by putting a little sticker on the butterfly’s wing. This will let us be able to see where the butterflies travel during their yearly migration. The Monarch Waystation will also offer monarchs who are flying by a sanctuary.

The pumpkin patch will provide pumpkins for the annual sixth grade Fall Fest. An aquatic greenhouse will give hands-on experience for students, and a chicken coop will provide space to raise the chickens that sixth grade hatches yearly. Sixth grade and the Science Club will need donations to help start off the courtyard’s transformation. Supplies such as plants for the monarchs, fish/butterfly nets, and gardening tools are needed to start this project.