The cabin, well-used for the first 10 years of DGS awesomeness, has shifted from classroom to office and back several times over. It is now a-buzz with new life as the sustainability and science lab! This week, all eyes (and minds) were on the SIXTH animal species to join the living web of our farm - honeybees! Ask your children what the other five are (if they're stuck on the 5th, just look in the mirror 😉)
The bees are mesmerizing, and we'll be spending lots more time observing and learning all about them. As a former beekeeper myself, I've got lots to share. Big thanks to Jennifer for winning the grant and to Justin, owner of Queen's Orders for bringing in the colony. #1 question this week: "Can we harvest honey?!" Well, our bees are going to be great pollinators for flowers across our campus, but because they are in a super-cool observation hive, we'll be leaving them all their honey so they'll have plenty to eat all winter. Luckily, we've got other local honey we'll be sampling in the next few weeks.
Each year sustainability class begins with reorienting to the land and the farm animals and systems here at DGS. The word "sustainability" brings to mind new innovations, technologies, and concepts such as solar power, electric vehicles, the circular economy, and more. However, none of that is likely to be widely embraced if we don't deep-down-understand that we are ALL living in community, all a part of the cycles of life and the planet, and are ultimately connected to all things.
When we truly grasp that we are not separate, but part of a working whole, we shift from "me" to "we". And this shift is game-changing, opening up new ways of thinking, creativity, and hope for living in a way that meets our needs without compromising the health of the whole system and future generations. Here at DGS your children experience community and connections across classrooms and curricula. Creativity and new ways of thinking grow. I'm excited to be a part of it and can't wait to see what takes flight this year. 🐝
💚 Ms. Paula
