In Small Gardens: August 2010

School just started last Monday, and by Thursday CSMS had already received two significant recognitions. Through a concerted effort by teachers and students, and with crucial community support last year, our school achieved "Recognized" status from TEA. Perhaps you have noticed the banner on the front fence. Our area superintendent, Bergeron Harris, presented it to us in a faculty meeting.

Hanging proudly next to it is a banner declaring Small Middle School as a founding member of

the Green Ribbon Schools program. To earn this recognition we had to meet four criteria:

1.) have an environmentally friendly campus, 2) offer students nature adventure, 3) provide for our students' health, fitness, and wholesome nutrition (we participate in the CATCH Program), and 4) integrate outdoor education into our curriculum. To learn more about the program follow the link in the section on the right.

Seventh period Native Plants and Animals class.

I had the best intentions. Really. My classes took two walking tours of the campus during the first week of school. What a great opportunity to take photos of this semester's students checking out our gardens! I was so excited about showing off some of the special secrets hidden on our school grounds. I even had the camera at school. I just never remembered to ask a student to be the photographer.

Pretend you are seeing pictures of the following: We were conducting an informal habitat survey as we walked. The mockingbirds were out and feeding on the American beautyberry. We found several small white eggshell remains under two nesting sites. The Texas ebony, Turk's cap, and esperanza were blooming in the front beds. Honeybees were nectaring.

Students rubbed a leaf of the anacua tree between their fingers. They correctly guessed its common name, sandpaper tree. Two classes saw a tiger swallowtail. Queens and fritillaries were abundant. Students sniffed the leaves from a bay tree and compared it to the smell of Juicy Fruit gum. Our last stop was the toothache tree where students tasted the sweet lemon- minty leaves. Many reported numbness of their lips and tongue (Hence the name- it was a commonly used remedy for Native Americans and early settlers).

I remembered the camera the next day, of course, and had an aide from my first period class go out and take bunch of pictures.