Carlson courtyard morphs into butterfly garden

WARREN — When Carlson Elementary staff held its open house last month, many students brought their families over to view the school’s new butterfly garden.

With its colorful benches and blooming flowers, it’s an inviting spot that has beautified the school grounds.

The outdoor butterfly garden was created after third grade teacher Jennifer Jones and instructional coach Heather Graef received a $2,500 State Farm Teacher Assist grant. Money from the grant was used to purchase all the flowers, dirt, equipment and supplies needed to build the butterfly garden.

The State Farm Teacher Assist grant program was developed to help educators meet the challenges of teaching during the COVID-19 pandemic. Carlson is part of the Van Dyke Public Schools district.

A butterfly garden is designed to attract and retain butterflies to ensure the insects have a good habitat where they can reside. Jones and Graef coordinated the Carlson project so the entire student body could participate. To help maintain the property, students will have different jobs, and those responsibilities will include lessons that combine reading, writing and science.

The habitat contains several planter boxes filled with annual and perennial flowers, including lantanas, verbenas, coneflowers, zinnias, butterfly bushes and marigolds. There already have been several butterflies spotted in the garden. Milkweed also is a big part of the garden.

“That’s where the butterflies lay their eggs,” Graef said.

Since retired Carlson teacher Linda Czajka Marchio provided a number of gift cards to benefit the garden, there’s an area dedicated to her. Marchio’s generosity made it possible for the purchase of hoses, nozzles and sprinklers for the garden. Another spot contains a sign recognizing State Farm.

In the meantime, the school applied to be a designated Monarch Waystation. Through the Monarch Waystation program, designated areas provided resources necessary for monarchs to sustain their migration.

Graef added that the school will hold a contest with the students to come up with an official name for the garden. There is enough seating in the garden for teachers to bring out their students for class or to conduct projects. Families in the neighborhood also have been occupying the garden after school hours to enjoy it.

“I love it,” Carlson Principal Melissa Pluszczynski said. “It gives the kids a place of calm.”

The butterfly garden also spread its wings with help from students in the Lincoln High School GM Student Corps paid internship program. With assistance from General Motors Co. retirees, the high school interns worked on the garden this past summer. They built the benches and planter boxes, and planted flowers, among other jobs. The GM interns reportedly could vote on a project and chose to work on the Carlson butterfly project.

“I think it turned out better than expected. GM really stepped up and went above and beyond,” Jones said. “I think it’s really beautiful. I love how the planters turned out.”