During the 2022-2023 academic year, biology teacher Kate Schafer was the adviser for a 9th grade Social Innovation Program (SIP) group focused on Endangered Species and Habitats. The team’s goal was to have a garden somewhere on the Sequoyah high school campus filled with endangered plant species by the end of the year. They wanted to use the garden to spread as much knowledge across the school as possible.
To accomplish their goal, the team hosted meetings with individuals specializing in endangered species and habitats. First, the group researched organizations and materials that helped them discover more about endangered plants. Then they drafted plans, emails, and interviews, assigned each other roles to successfully complete their goals, and went on many Friday afternoon SIP trips. Along the way, they met David Newson, who donated his time to help the group. Newsom is a documentarian and the founder of the Wild Yards project, which works with schools and corporations to plant endangered species and habitats.When the team met with Newson, they discussed the plan and he provided helpful feedback. This allowed them to eventually make a list of plants they wanted to incorporate into their garden, including white sage, toyon, coyote brush, and more.
The team quickly discovered it wasn’t going to be simple to successfully create a garden on campus. The group decided they wanted to plant on the Arroyo Parkway entrance to the school; however, it consisted of many weeds, invasive plants, and an irrigation system that negatively contributed to moving forward with planting. The SIP team’s goal was to plant by April 21, 2023, with many meetings leading up to the big day.
Schafer gave guidance, while also inviting the group’s ideas, providing students with a sense of ownership. Schafer pointed out how proud she was of the group and how she particularly appreciated that “they didn’t get discouraged when faced with what seems like insurmountable roadblocks.” She refers to SIP as the type of program that functions best when you “set out to do something and you have to figure out how to accomplish it.” She noticed right away the group was eager to get the plants in the ground, and they were spending a good portion of their time focusing on “trying to collaborate with a lot of different entities” and “think[s] that slowed us down in a lot of different places.”
After the prolonged preparation of the garden to make it ready for planting—including de-weeding, watering, and discussing their critiques—the day finally came for the group to plant! It took place after school on Friday, April 21. It was a hot day, and with Jogathon taking place just before, the team’s energy levels were low. Nevertheless, they put their hard work into a few hours of planting and successfully got it done!
Sophomore Wiley Bouchard, a member of the Endangered Species and Habitats team, explained what the native garden means to him. “I love its quiet presence in the community,” he said. “It’s just sprucing up the campus. When I see it personally, I’m reminded of all the intent that went into it. It’s not just about the amount of change it makes, but just the fact that we put so much energy and love into that garden.” Yet, he also stated that he “feel[s] like we could have built more hype with the students.”
To tackle that issue, Bouchard, along with team members Kenya Gordon ’26 and Atticus Affleck ’26, formed a sub-group to create a rap and music video about the garden to grab attention, which they later displayed at the end-of-semester Exhibition Night. The rap showcased the stars in the garden while they rapped a song they wrote about endangered species and habitats. Gordon stated that creating the rap gave him an opportunity to positively impact the team, noting that it “got me to be creative in class.” Gordon put much effort into the editing and even had a drone for maximum point of views of the garden, while Affleck and Bouchard kept the energy alive with their rap throughout the video. The video was a hit with students, faculty, and parents alike.
With the presence of David Newson along the way, and help from other visitors, the team learned exactly how to maintain an endangered species and habitat garden on the Sequoyah high school campus. Schafer explained she still applies the little discoveries that she got from the group to her own life. “Our actions rarely completely solve or address a problem, and it’s the little things that we do that make a difference,” she said. Taking one step at a time, Schafer’s SIP team showed that little actions work to address big problems, starting with the high school campus. Feel free to take a well deserved visit to the Arroyo Parkway garden and leave a few comments to give the team some credit where it is due!
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