Vision

Our JEDI club wished to add bird and bee houses to our school’s pollinator and food gardens, and to enhance the garden as a hands-on environmental learning space. The students also wanted to create a community art project that has both a functional purpose for the environment and an aesthetic appeal showcasing student art.

Action

Our Grade 3–5 JEDI ( Justice, equity, diversity, inclusion) Club students used our grant to enhance our school’s pollinator and food garden. Students researched local pollinators and birds, then voted to add bee hotels and birdhouses to the garden to provide safe habitats and increase biodiversity. They purchased: 2 bee boxes, 6 bird house building kits, bird feed and feeders, paints (the bird houses were diy kits), and weatherproof sealant for students’ painted work.

Students worked in small teams to assemble and paint each bee hotel and birdhouse. Students decorated the houses with inclusive and eco-positive designs so that they can add both functional habitats and artwork to the garden.

This project supports sustainability by protecting pollinators, which are essential to healthy ecosystems and food systems. Pollinators help plants grow, reproduce, and provide food for humans and animals. By creating habitats for them, our students are helping to restore balance and encourage biodiversity. This action also helps fight climate change by supporting natural systems that absorb carbon, reduce erosion, and increase resilience in local ecosystems.

Our students were inspired by learning about climate change and a shared desire to take real, visible action. They learned that bees and birds are struggling due to habitat loss and pollution. As part of the JEDI Club, they wanted to help the environment in a way that also connects to justice and fairness—by supporting species that can’t speak for themselves and by creating a healthier planet for all people and living things.

Our garden is more than a growing space—it’s a place for learning, connection, and shared purpose. By building and painting the bird and bee houses themselves, the students left a visible mark of creativity and care in our outdoor space. Their artwork creates a welcoming, hopeful environment that brings students, staff, and families together.

Reflection & Celebration

Our school garden is a shared space where students learn, grow food, and connect with nature. By supporting pollinators and birds, we are strengthening this community space for current and future students. This project makes the garden more vibrant, more productive, and more educational. It also shows that kids can be leaders in creating a sustainable and just world. It brings hope, beauty, and purpose to our community.
This project has strengthened both our ecosystem and our sense of school community. It models the idea that environmental stewardship is part of social justice, and that our students are capable of leading meaningful change.