Student Efforts to Help Pollinators Highlighted at National Teaching Conference

​From the classroom to the field, students from New Jersey's Cumberland Regional High School (CRHS) didn't just learn about the vital role of habitat in a changing world – they became active agents of conservation and restoration. Their inspiring environmental stewardship journey was recently highlighted at the 2025 National Science Teaching Association (NSTA) conference in Philadelphia, PA.

The collaborative project, "Helping Pollinators Help Us: Creating Habitat for Climate Change Resilience," was a joint effort between Michelle Rebilas, Director of Education at the American Littoral Society, and Nicole Smith, the dedicated Agriculture, Food, and Natural Resources teacher at CRHS. This initiative was made possible through the NOAA Planet Stewards funding opportunity, which empowers educators to lead hands-on, action-based projects that address environmental challenges within their communities and natural resources.
 
The American Littoral Society has partnered with Cumberland Regional High School in Bridgeton, NJ for many years to implement various “green infrastructure” projects on the school campus. The NOAA Planet Stewards funding made it possible to build upon this partnership and embark on the 2-year effort to engage students in an environmental stewardship project that would increase pollinator habitat at their school and in the community.

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Over the course of the project, students immersed themselves in the fascinating world of pollinators. They delved into the life cycle and migration patterns of the iconic monarch butterfly, and also ventured to Cape May Point State Park to participate in professional monarch tagging efforts with the Monarch Monitoring Project. To raise awareness about the crucial role of pollinators, the students designed their own informative pollinator habitat signs. Their hands-on learning extended to the school greenhouse, where they nurtured over 450 plants, which were eventually planted - along with 1,200 other native pollinator plants - in a vibrant new pollinator meadow on school grounds.
 
Students also embarked on a field trip to Barrett’s Run Nature Preserve, a local farm that has been converted into community park, to plant additional native pollinator plants in this community space. Some students didn’t know this green space existed and were excited to bring their families and friends back for a visit.
 
Throughout the project, students collected data and practiced scientific skills such as observation and analysis. They studied the living things in their pollinator habitat before and after the planting, the analyzed results. When asked about their favorite part of the program, students highlighted the joy of being outdoors, the satisfaction of planting, the connection with nature and animals, the newfound knowledge about pollinators, the tangible results of their efforts, and the excitement of discovering new aspects of the natural world. 

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