My name is Kim Melnychenko and I am a teacher at Jewell Elementary in Aurora, Colorado. We are continuing to build a beautiful pollinator garden! In 2022, many juniper bushes were taken out due to fire concerns. The space was left bare with only garden fabric and mulch. The blank area surrounds about 1/3 of our school exterior. Our school decided to use this space as a pollinator garden. We have already made so much progress in building the garden, learning about the garden, and maintaining it. We have integrated the garden into the 1st grade science curriculum so that they learn about pollinators and native plants to Colorado. They then design an example of the garden with the help of Arapahoe County Master Gardeners. Next, we started a Jewell Garden Club that learns about the garden and maintains it throughout the year. Families and staff volunteer in the summer to water and weed.

This year, we are going to design and plant our 3rd plot! We are raising money to buy Colorado native and drought-resistant plants. Our 1st grade families will come together on our Jewell Planting Days on May 19 and 20. Any donation will help purchase beautiful plants to look at and learn from for years to come.