By K.A.Pendergast
Tuesday June 12 saw an eventful day down at Raft River Elementary School.
First there was a ribbon cutting ceremony at the new pollinator garden created by Mrs. Shook’s Grade 3 class.
They researched pollinators and the right plants to use and walked down to Rooted by the River Nursery to choose just the right ones.
A pollinator garden is made to attract bees, butterflies and other pollinators.
With our problems now concerning the bees and the ecosystem this is an important step in helping save our planet.
They received a grant from EcoLeague for all of the plants and mulch and There were even some plants donated by generous local gardeners.
Also one of the students, Evan Colborne, had her dad Brett bring a truckload of wood chips to donate from his birch mill up the park for the path.
This week they will also add along the fence some wooden bees and butterflies cut by Dayton Fraser from the Clearwater Secondary School on a laser engraver.
There were some kindergarten and Grade 7 students helping along the way and all in all it was a total community effort.
The large rocks around the garden make for a wonderfully peaceful spot to sit and enjoy the beauty surrounding you.
Second on the list of events included Maker Day!
I bet you have no idea what that is anymore than this reporter did!
It is a S.T.E.M. challenge day.
That means the challenges are using science, technology, engineering and math. The students involved are a mixture of kindergarten to Grade 3 students on the teams.
They are given a challenge to solve and use all of these methods to try to find a solution and they have crafts to use to make the solution useable.
There was a huge variety of objects to use in finding the solutions and the kids had to really work hard! If you have local kids in your family or friends that fit the age group be sure to ask them about their day and challenge!
This reporter could literally feel the energy and creativity in action in the gym the moment I stepped in. What a wonderful challenge for their minds!
Third on the list was a Whole School Picnic! There was a bake sale table and the students and teachers alike, as well as some parents, all enjoyed the sunshine and had their lunches on the grass.
The main thing heard by this reporter was loud laughter and what a beautiful sound it was!
Thanks for the invitation to participate in your day Raft River!
newsroom@clearwatertimes.com
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