I consider the wildlife garden in our school my second home. It is not only a garden, it has also been certified by the Wildlife Federation as a Wildlife Garden where hundreds of species of wildlife can raise their young, find food, water, and shelter.  

With a wonderful place like this my students and I were inspired to develop other ways to protect and help nature by enhancing the use of the school yard. We came up with the idea of helping native bees and let them thrive by providing human-made bee boxes as nesting sites. After some research, we discovered that the Mayan culture had been coexisting with native stingless bees in Mesoamerica for centuries. 

They discovered medicinal and natural treatments for their honey. Native bees would need the wild plants in our garden as a source of pollen and nectar.  The group learned about the social impact grant in global campus, and we decided to share our idea. The students prepared a draft of our plan, along with the project schedule and budget to write the proposal. They also recorded a video explaining the project, and what we had done in advance. We were successful in our application for funding, and with this grant we have been able to set up four more bee houses and pollinators hotel.  

Up today we have already collected honey during the dry hot season, and we are planning to collect much more in the coming year. Our bee lab group is growing with new members and new ideas. We are planning our CDS harvest festival next dry season to celebrate our bees making honey products of all kinds. We are building a culture around the school about the importance of pollinators, specifically bees. Teachers in our school are creating fantastic lessons around this topic, and students are learning that when we share a dream it may come true! 

Jack Young, Principal of Country Day School, highlights that one of the most exciting things about being a principal is when you can see students having the opportunity to be passionate about what they are learning. The CDS Bee Lab Project has become a beacon of inspiration for learning and has developed far beyond our original vision. 

From learning about the importance of bees in our environment to the entrepreneurial aspect of collecting, marketing, and selling our amazingBee-based products to our local community, these little stingless bees have had a big effect on our students!