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Outdoor wildlife area coming to life at Rockville

Education

Written by Kristen Waggener

Wednesday, 17 June 2009 07:00

The children who helped with the initial stages of creating an outdoor wildlife observation area were (from left) Drew Lemke, Madden Rutherford, Malee Rutherford, Hannah Straub, Charlie Koontz, Tommy Koontz, Tanner Sturm, Kealsea Sturm, Macy Lemke, Jennifer Straub and Devin Lemke. They were assisted by teachers Dana Lemke and Pat Anderson, who held the ribbon, as the children cut it with Fiskars scissors. (Photo by Kristen Waggener)

The bluebirds must have been a sign.

Just as teachers Dana Lemke, Pat Anderson, Veronica Kern and Dotty Harding were preparing the space behind Rockville Elementary School for mulch, plants, soil and rocks to be placed, two bluebirds fluttered back and forth between the top of the school building and a small wooden birdhouse already constructed in the soon-to-be outdoor wildlife learning site.

With the help of several families of students at Rockville, the teachers and Principal Becky Bowes gave up their Saturday morning to work on phase one of the outdoor wildlife site project.

They hope to eventually have an area where students can see plants, butterflies, birds, and maybe even a frog or two, just outside the school doors.

“Our original goal was to have an observation area for the kids,” Lemke said, complete with hills, bushes, flowers and other things that encourage wildlife to grow.

Groups of families including the Rutherfords, Straubs, Koontzes and
Sturms worked together taking dirt from one portion of Rockville’s land to another, weed-eating, breaking up the dirt and laying mulch to prepare the site.

About midway through the morning, Lemke had the groups take a break so she could thank them for their support.

“Many hands make light work,” she said.

The children who helped were given child-safe scissors, and each one helped cut the ribbon announcing the first phase of the project the group hopes to complete by the beginning of the 2009-10 school year.

Thanks to the help of the school’s parent-teacher organization, they were able to purchase some plants and other features, but they are looking to improve the site even more.

“We’re hoping to have benches and bird baths and maybe an arch to grow some ivy,” Lemke said. “It’ll just be a fun little area.”

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