On Sunday, May 5, Topanga Elementary Charter School (TECS) Science Committee partnered with Bill Buerge, owner of the Mountain Mermaid, to host Butterfly Day, a community event to raise awareness about the critical role of butterflies and other pollinators in our environment.
Set amidst the beautiful surroundings of the Mermaid home and gardens, the day featured the vocal talents of Donna Delory, who also coached third-grade students in songs about our natural world in a wonderland of live butterflies, native plants, and flowers. The day also offered a butterfly tent for a hands-on meet and greet with live butterflies, locally grown native plants that attract butterflies, face painting, seed bomb making, and educational booths featuring local community and environmental partners. Several talented parents provided a buffet of delectable home-made dishes and desserts were provided by Patrice Winter’s The Angel in Your Kitchen.
A highlight of the event was a proclamation presented by the Topanga Town Council officially declaring May 5 as “Topanga Pollinator Day.”
EXCELLENCE IN EDUCATION
Topanga Elementary Charter School prides itself on excellence in education for both pillars of its charter—science and the visual and performing arts.
The Science Committee funds a dedicated science teacher who provides a weekly curriculum for all grades, K-5. Enrichment activities are led by a team of volunteer parents who partner with the science teacher and principal to develop and carry out program initiatives and activities. Working with the Santa Monica Mountains Resource Conservation District (SMMRCD) we integrate classroom activities with regular hikes on nature trails within the five acres of oak woodland on the campus.
At the annual Science Fair, students have an opportunity to undertake a project of their choosing, receive guidance on project development and presentation, then share their work with family members, teachers, and classmates. As a capstone event, fifth grade students have traditionally participated in an immersive environmental science field trip, partnering with Research Educational Centers such as the Catalina Island Marine Institute and Dana Point Ocean Institute.
In addition to our own educational program, TECS organizes community outreach events that connect our school children with the greater community. Each year, we organize a Fifth Grade Science Day when the school hosts the fifth-grade class of Hart Street Elementary School for a day of environmental learning activities presented by SMMRCD, Mountains Restoration Trust, and the National Wildlife Federation. Students partner with environmental experts from SMMRCD and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to lead Hart Street students on hikes to learn about the flora and fauna of our local ecosystem.
During the annual P-22 Day, the school welcomes hikers from the National Wildlife Federation as part of its effort to increase awareness of the challenges facing mountain lions and other wildlife in urban settings. Our Topanga Library Speakers Series and Science Fair Poster Display promotes science discussion and learning within our community through our local library
Rounding out the year with support from Butterfly Day collaborators—Malibu Monarch Project, Poison-free Malibu, NWF, Topanga Creek Watershed and Town Council—the Science Committee spearheaded the Butterfly Garden, a microhabitat on campus for butterflies and other pollinators. Parent volunteers cleared non-native plants from a hillside and planted native plants from the Theodore Payne Society that will provide food for pollinators at all life cycle stages.
As the plants grew, students worked with local tile artists, Paul and Matt Doolin of Topanga Art Tile, to make, design and paint tiles featuring a variety of pollinators—butterflies, bees, hummingbirds, bats, moths, even geckos—that were integrated into a beautiful mosaic designed by Paul Doolin to decorate the butterfly wall below the butterfly garden. Prior to the Mermaid event the school enjoyed a Butterfly Week of activities that also included a pollinator art contest.
Our future is indeed in the hands of our children and we are committed to training and inspiring them to lead us in scientific innovation and stewardship of our natural world and its resources. We welcome educational investment of ideas, expertise and support from the Topanga community.
To participate and for more information, contact Alisa Land Hill, MD, Science Committee president, Topanga Elementary Charter School (alisajlandhill@gmail.com).
BY ALISA & KENT LAND HILL