2.4: Habitat Restoration

Return to Objective 2: Student-driven Sustainability Practices

Commodore has a mostly native schoolyard pollinator garden that is maintained by motivated students each school year. Though the maintenance can be a lot of work, the students also enjoy getting to spend time outside during the school day. As they weed and trim, they learn about the plants in the garden and see how they change throughout the school year.

Pictured below is the first student work day after returning to school for the 2021-2022 school year. There was so much work to do after the garden received little use and maintained the previous school years due to COVID closures. A group of 12 8th grade girls have spearheaded the garden maintenance work during the 2021-2022 school year. While a group of 16 8th grade boys maintained and held activities in the garden during the 2019-2020 school year. They boys can be seen preparing for jack-o-lantern carving on a sunny afternoon.

During the 2017-2018 and 2018-2019 school year the Turtle Team was able to successfully raise, care for, observe and release a terrapin. Each year, 10 6th, 7th and 8th grade Turtle Team students are in charge of feeding the hatchling, monitoring the water level and reading, and cleaning the tank. Students measure the terrapin on a weekly basis and record the data in a spreadsheet. Additionally, students plan for turtle care over school breaks and then attend a spring field trip (May 2018 and May 2019 shown below) to release the terrapin on Poplar Island.

This program helps students appreciate terrapins and connect with the Chesapeake Bay. Due to this hands-on experience Turtle Team students gain a new appreciation, respect and connection to their environment and the unit Chesapeake Bay habitat.