Silver Lake Intermediate Girl Scouts Help Improve School's Pollinator Gardens
By Rebecca Seymour
Special to the Enterprise
OCONOMOWOC — It was the last week of summer vacation and despite the high heat and humidity, five future 5th grade girls were hard at work, investing a little sweat equity into the pollinator perennial flower gardens at Silver Lake Intermediate School
Members of Oconomowoc's Junior Girl Scout Troop 10308, Arie Harris, Sophia Kieck, Lucy Maranowicz, Layla Mathiasm, and Sami Timmer have been working all summer on their Outdoor Journey, which includes earning Animal Habitats, Camper and Eco Camper badges. The girls will also earn their Take Action badge through learning about the importance of creating natural habitats that attract vital pollinators like bees, butterflies and birds in their own backyards and school grounds. "We feel it's important to volunteer for our school community. These flower gardens are good for pollinators who live here and they're good for the students who go to school here. When they walk by, they'll say, 'Wow, our school is so beautiful!'" said Arie Harris, 10
Because of COVID, the troop wanted to find opportunities where they could still gather safely. Discovering the beauty of nature and spending time together outside was the perfect solution. "The girls learned more about camping and hiking and gave back by pulling an invasive species called garlic mustard at Nashotah Park. They also wanted to do something outside for their Take Action project that would help beautify their new school," explained troop leader Stephanie Borchardt.
Connecting With Nature
Tina Heinecke-Kurtz has been connecting with kids in her classrooms at the Oconomowoc Area School District for more than 25 years. The Silver Lake Intermediate 7th grade special education teacher is also a National Board-Certified Science Teacher. Through her passion for inspiring kids to unplug and get outside, Heinecke-Kurtz taught a class this summer for 40 5th and 6th graders focused on exploring and connecting with nature.
"In a community like Oconomowoc whose motto is 'Life comes naturally here,' I feel it's important that we are committed to environmental education. I want the kids to know the value of working in a garden and learning about pollinators and composting," she explained.
Heinecke-Kurtz met with the girls last Thursday before they started their work outside Silver Lake Intermediate to show them how to clean up and compost summer's fading perennial plants, as well as to keep an eye out for different species of pollinators still hard at work in the gardens. "We have 10 gardens here at Silver Lake. There is a lot of life here," she told the girls, laughing. "It's fun to be in Girl Scouts and to help our community. Maybe if sometimes people are sad, when they look at these gardens, they will feel happy," said Sami Timmer, 10.
Photos Courtesy of Rebecca Seymour/Special to the Enterprise
Silver Lake Intermediate School teacher Tina Heinecke-Kurtz, left, met with Oconomowoc's Junior Girl Scout Troop 10308 Aug. 26 to share about the importance of organic gardening and composting, and the different species of pollinators dependent on natural habitats. The girls spent several hours helping to clean up the school's perennial flower gardens.
Members of Oconomowoc's Junior Girl Scout Troop 10308 cleaned up several pollinator flower gardens at Silver Lake Intermediate School on Aug. 26 to help earn their Take Action badge. Pictured from left are 5th graders Sami Timmer, Lucy Maranowicz, Arie Harris and Sophia Kieck. Not pictured, Layla Mathias.
