Rochambeau students building community pollinator garden

Rochambeau High School students are planting community right in their front yard with a pollinator garden, while also improving the ecosystem.

“We’re hoping to make an impact on our community,” said Brien Schweizer, science teacher at Rochambeau, where the project kicked off last week. “A lot of our students' families grow their own vegetables and maybe even their fruit, and we could bring back some life with more pollinators.”

The gardens help improve biodiversity by providing food, shelter and nesting sites for pollinators such as butterflies, bees and birds that help plants reproduce. They typically include nectar- and pollen-producing flowers, shrubs and other vegetation that the pollinators thrive on. 

In Mr. Schweizer’s science classes, students will examine the impact of the pollinator garden as well as learning about plant processes such as photosynthesis. Students are also excited to get the experience of gardening and landscaping, which they could use outside of school.

“It’s fun. I enjoyed it and got a nice workout in,” said Anthony Espina, a senior at Rochambeau who is also interested in pursuing landscaping after high school. “I’m interested (in gardening and landscaping) because my dad does it, and I work with him.”

The project, led by social studies teacher Paul Paradis, is an example of how Rochambeau enriches its academics with project-based learning. From planning to completion, students worked together to set up the garden to address a problem.

“The problem was, ‘what can we do to address climate change?’” said Director of Rochambeau Khali Murrell. “Project-based learning and problem-based learning are one example of how we can give kids access to the curriculum. Here at Rochambeau, we’re looking to give kids access to the curriculum as well as rigor.”

The garden also allows students to build a greater connection with the community, since more pollinators will help the rest of the neighborhood. This helps reinforce the value of community service, while teaching students valuable skills and academic concepts.

“The goal is to be symbiotic in the work that we do because my vision is for Rochambeau to be a community with the community,” said Ms. Murrell. 

Rochambeau received a grant through the White Plains Youth Climate Action Fund in order to build the garden.