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CREC Montessori Magnet Earns Wildlife Habitat Distinction
(Hartford, CT) CREC’s Montessori Magnet School’s courtyard is now a certified wildlife habitat, and this new designation means that the school community must take extra care of school grounds.
On April 23, the school held a clean-up day. About 50 students, parents, and staff members helped to beautify the courtyard. They swept, weeded, and worked on planting and landscape projects, preparing the courtyard for its new monarch butterfly recovery garden.
The courtyard earned its new wildlife habitat status from the National Wildlife Federation, and the school’s parent-teacher group will purchase a plaque that highlights this honor.
A $500 grant from the Lego Community Fund and the Connecticut Forest & Park Association will help the school start its butterfly garden, providing the money needed to purchase plants that attract monarch butterflies. The grant will also allow the school to buy supplies to help with planting.
In addition, funding from the two organizations will send two CREC Montessori Magnet School teachers to a day-long professional development session, which will teach them how to setup and maintain a monarch butterfly recovery garden. The teachers will also be provided with lesson plans that they can use with their students.
CREC Montessori Magnet School teacher Nancy Rawn is leading the school’s efforts on this project and secured the grant for her school.
“I am very excited to decorate the courtyard with plants that butterflies love,” she said.
