Bees!

I work at this incredible school. As a charter school, there are certain things we must live up to that are outlined in our charter. One in particular is our focus on environmental education. I love this!! Many classes go to the Bosque a few times a month for outdoor education and we have gardening classes for grades K-6. Next year I will be team-teaching at the middle school in math, science and outdoor education. I couldn't be happier.

To begin preparation for my new role, I'm in the process of a proposal to get a bee hive on campus. We already have numerous fruit trees, both in the orchard and spread across the school grounds. The students can pluck peaches, pears, plums, Asian pears, apples, apricots and figs as they ripen. Strawberries are also in abundance around campus, too, as is a generously sized edible garden of herbs and veggies. This is truly beautiful and adored by the students. What better way to demonstrate the processes of pollination and honey creation than by having an on-campus hive?

Today I met with a colleague and a local beekeeper to discuss possibilities for obtaining and caring for a top bar hive. It turns out the beekeeper loves working with schools and has a very favorable proposal for getting us a hive, bees, and regular maintenance. This is all with plenty of student input and cooperation. They can help build the hive and care for the bees. In a few weeks our proposal will (hopefully) be approved and we'll be the happy caretakers of a healthy colony! Keep your fingers crossed.