Hatching curiosity

CALKINS, DLIMA, WELCH, HALL

Posted By: Mistina Christner (email)
Date: 7/18/2018 at 12:40:42

Source: Iowa City Press Citizen Education Section Unsure of date

Hatching curiosity
Eagle project sparks interest in butterflies
By Mark Quiner

HILLS - The favorite part of the day for Hills Elementary first grader Hunter Calkins, 6, of Lone Tree, is when he gets to water the butterfly and vegetable garden on the playground at Hills Elementary School.
"I like to watch (the butterflies)," he said.
The new space set aside for butterflies in the Hills school yard is compliments of Mike D'lima, 18, of Iowa City, who invested a month of his time writing a proposal, mobilizing volunteers and organizing supplies to turn an old overgrown weed patch into a plush butterfly paradise - a project required to earn his Eagle rank for the Boy Scouts of America.
A community service project is a requirement for Boy Scouts of America's highest honor. It must be for a non-profit organization and benefit the community, he said.
"There isn't anything typical about an Eagle Scout project," D'lima said.
Fourth grader Taner Welch, 9, of Hills, also is enjoying the butterfly garden. "They have more space to spread out," he said.
D'lima said he was turned on to the idea of a butterfly garden for his Eagle Scout project by Lisa Hall, a Hills Elementary School teacher, who was looking to add to the schools' 3-year-old gardening program called "Garden Sprouts".
Hall was especially looking for a space for the first and second graders to hatch butterflies during their insect unit.
In either first or second grade, Iowa City school district students are required to do a unit studying plants and insects, Hall said. The garden allows students to continue learning at recess by actually seeing what they are reading about in class, she said. Students also like to release the butterflies they hatch and then watch them thrive.
Funding for D'lima's project came from the ComServ Iowa Grant through the Iowa Department of Education, Hall said. She added that Twain and Weber elementary schools teamed up with Hills to jointly apply for the $5,000 grant and then divide it evenly among them. Hills' portion was used to fund the gardening program, which includes the butterfly garden and vegetable garden, along with some field trips, she said.
The ComServ grant comes from a $126,672, federal grant and is part of the state of Iowa's service learning program which supports school programs that encourage students to get involved in their community. Every year, schools can apply for grants between $1,000 and $5,000.
Hall said the vegetable garden - the other component of the Garden Sprouts project - is meant to help students understand where their food comes from. Vegetables raised are given to those in need.
D'lima said after his conversation with Hall he started on a month long marathon to work out the details of the project so that when the weed pulling, digging and planting finally began it would go smoothly. After writing a proposal, purchasing the supplies and organizing the volunteers, the project was under way. On July 19, the butterfly garden was unveiled.
"I was enthusiastic about helping the community," he said, adding that now it is much more attractive.
Calkins' sister, Rebecca, 8, said she observes the garden every day at recess and is happy with the new space.
"There wasn't that much flowers before," Rebecca said.