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Three students doing water testing in a stream

Living Stones Academy

Living Stones Academy 2024-2025

Project Description: 

Reimagining and restoring unused green space on campus by planting native species and creating a more functional and inviting natural area for wildlife and student use.

Teacher: Dawn Plescher, 5th & 6th Grade

Showcase Video:  https://youtu.be/5SIHVge9Aas?si=IqPcojR92KwRA0WZ

Project Description:
After recent construction on our building, we saw an opportunity to reclaim the disturbed soil by planting native plants and trees. Our ultimate goal is to see permanent reforestation take place in that area. Along the way, we want to teach our students about the ecosystem they live in and to learn about and be able to identify the organisms in it. We would like to foster a sense of place within our students—not only in their ownership of the project, but in their connections with the neighbors that walk through and share the space. We were surprised and delighted by the amount of neighbor feedback we received last year and the students are invested in making progress on what they started last year. We have also been delighted by the marked uptick of different birds, insects and mammals we see in the space already.

Partners:
Plaster Creek Stewards, Friends of Parks

Teachers:
Gary Warners

Students:
54

Funder:
The Baldwin Foundation

Showcase Video: https://youtu.be/YGhCrvmlYF4?si=gk53a7h47Xwa574V

Page last modified July 30, 2026