By PLT Staff

GreenWorks! Grant Gets Youngsters and Volunteers Outdoors & Learning

You’re never too young to make a difference. At the Martin Luther King, Jr. Elementary School in Washington, D.C., elementary schoolers of all ages celebrated World Environment Day by planting a school garden and exploring the outdoors.  

While some students were digging holes and placing plants in the ground, others did the PLT activity, Schoolyard Safari. “I learned that you can find lots of animals if you just take time to look,” said a fifth grader. The fourth graders had a similar experience, with one student noting, “I liked when we found all the different insects in the tree stump because I didn’t know you could find so many things there!”

The activities made a big impression on the students. “Planting was fun and I learned how the soil makes the plants grow,” said a third grader. The project impacted the adult volunteers too. “Today has been an eye-opener for me,” said Eric Felton, a volunteer from HSBC. “It’s made me appreciate what you can do to help beautify an area.”

“This was an important event for our students. It let them see they could work together, set goals for themselves and follow directions,” said Netosh Jones, a third grade teacher at the school. “They saw how community leaders felt they were important enough to come out and give them an experience that they will remember for the rest of their lives.”

The pre-K through fifth grade students worked alongside volunteers from HSBC Bank USA, N.A. and the community to prepare areas for planting, place plants for a sensory garden and create walking paths. The sensory garden will help students use their sight, hearing, smell, touch and taste senses to interact with nature.

An unused section of the schoolyard is being transformed into a green learning laboratory.  In the fall, students will get their hands dirty as they add more plants and maintain the garden.  They will learn about the environment, plants and urban ecosystems. Reading and writing skills will improve as they make journal entries and study plants. Their math skills will help them monitor weather and plant growth. The project will also provide service learning opportunities to students of all ages.

In addition to being a vehicle for learning, the garden will also help the community. Shrubs and perennials in the garden will buffer street noise, dust and pollution. The plantings will also help reduce runoff from the site, protecting valuable drinking water.

"We were thrilled to work with the kids from MLK elementary. At HSBC, we like to provide more than just a monetary contribution. Our employees are eager to get out and volunteer in the communities where we operate,” said Heather Nesle, first vice president of community and philanthropic services. “It was extremely motivating to see the students and teachers get excited about learning about our natural environment; something that we care deeply about at the bank."

In the spring, the school faculty completed a Project Learning Tree teacher training workshop. During the workshop, teachers and HSBC Bank employees provided input on the project and teachers collected ideas from their students for the gardens. 

Their preparation time paid off on planting day. “By doing a Project Learning Tree activity ahead of time, the kids were really well prepared, and keen!” said Jenny Reed, a professional landscape designer with National Resources Design, Inc., who assisted with the project. 

“They knew about roots and subsoil, and today they saw the difference between opposite and alternate leaves,” said Reed after a busy day spent working alongside the students. “We plan to extend the beds in the fall which will really give the teachers a fabulous outdoor classroom for their students.”

A $10,000 grant from HSBC Bank USA, N.A. to PLT’s GreenWorks! service learning grants program funded the project, and it’s also part of the bank’s Greening the Capital City: One Schoolyard at a Time.

“Not only did HSBC provide financial support for this GreenWorks! project, but many of their staff volunteered at the school, learning and having as much fun as the students,” said Al Stenstrup, director of curriculum at Project Learning Tree. “The enthusiasm of the students, teachers and HSBC staff made this day a success.”
 
Future plans include a global garden, an ethnic vegetable garden, and the addition of several trees. World Environment Day is observed annually on June 5 by the United Nations and has been observed since 1972.