Staff Reports
First-graders from L F Smith Elementary School are creating a buzz in the community.
Students recently learned about the importance of bees and shared their knowledge with the public thanks to the work of their teachers and the Bartholomew County Public Library.
Smith first-grade teachers Lisa Haines and Nora Mitchell hatched the idea, and recently wrote a grant called “Bees Rock” to help their students learn about pollination and its importance to the environment.
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Haines and Mitchell said they were inspired when two of them were on a bike ride over the summer. The pair visited different exhibits around Columbus, and came across one that talked about bees and their roles in pollination.
It was at that point that the two felt it was a good idea to share the education with their students.
First-grade teacher Rob Musillami soon joined in on the project, which took form before the schools switched to e-learning.
Bartholomew County Public Library youth programming specialist Kelly Kennedy read a book to the students who then did a report to hang up at the library.
Students followed up by painting rocks that bring awareness to the importance of pollinators and hid them around the community.
The teachers have created an educational Facebook page, called “Bees Rock,” which is also listed on the backside of the hidden rocks, where people can post photos of where they found the rock before re-hiding it for the next person to find.
Haines and Mitchell said they plan to continue doing the activity in the future.
