WOODBINE – On April 20, Woodbine Elementary School held a school-wide planting of their edible garden in honor of Earth Day. Students from pre-kindergarten to eighth grades planted kale and lettuce varieties, broccoli, spinach, strawberries, herb varieties, snapdragons, daisies, and other pollinator flowers. This edible school garden was developed through a $2,000 AtlantiCare Healthy Schools grant award applied for by Jessica Hartman, WES Green Team Coordinator.
On April 23, representatives from South Jersey Transportation Authority (SJTA) and their mascot Farley Fox visited students in the second through fifth grades for an Arbor Day assembly and tree dedication ceremony. Woodbine Elementary School received a dogwood tree and two butterfly boxes donated through SJTA. During the assembly, students learned facts about different species of plants and animals that live along the Expressway.
After the assembly, the SJTA group and their Farley Fox mascot took students outside for the dogwood tree dedication. Ten students were able to actively assist in the tree planting procedure. Each student in the second to fifth grades received an informational packet from the group and a packet of wildflower seeds to plant.
“The South Jersey Transportation’s goal when performing environmental presentations is to bring awareness to the students about being good stewards of the land and the environment. This can be accomplished by the students sharing the provided information and the things they learned from the event with their families so the group of stewards continues to increase,” Nick Marchese, Project Operations Manager (SJTA).
“We are truly grateful for AtlantiCare Healthy Schools and the South Jersey Transportation Authority for their contributions to Woodbine Elementary. Their support was key for our students to apply their classroom learning to sustainable practices,” Jessica Hartman, WES Green Team Coordinator.
