The Pollinator Extravaganza!

Collaborator and teacher extraordinaire, Quasar Surprise shared the below summary about the culmination of the Pollinator Project. This collaboration resulted in a beautiful cut-flower garden, teaching garden, permanent sculpture with beneficial insect habitat, and so much more! She shared more back story in this newsletter from the summer.

Over the summer, we celebrated the unveiling of an art sculpture and pollinator garden. At the event, there were local beekeepers, a live observation hive, honey vendors, education stations, a pollinator photographer, musicians and even a juggler! It was so much fun that we are thinking of making it an annual day-long education and family fun event.

Avanti students last year decided that we needed to have a garden just for pollinators that could double as a cut-flower garden for floral arrangements...and so it began! Over the year, student leaders spoke to the school board, wrote fundraising letters, helped with grants, and contributed landscape designs. We were lucky to be funded by several grants and partnered with local environmental artist and educator, Carrie Ziegler of Earth Art. The sculpture that she constructed was designed in collaboration with Avanti students and serves as a habitat space for our many solitary bee species (very important pollinators for food crops!). The garden was built in early May and can be seen in full bloom next to our Sagan Satellite vegetable garden....come check it out!

I could ramble on about how awesome the Olympia and Avanti community is, but I'll save some space here and just mention the blog and most recent Sustainable Ag. newsletter. Stay tuned and get involved if you're interested! Questions, comments, ideas, and donations (garden supplies, plants, etc.) can be directed to Quasar Surprise -- qsurprise@osd.wednet.edu.