Students in Mr. Duhrkopf's Algebra 1 Lab are learning math concepts a little differently this year. What started out as a lesson to learn about perimeter, area, volume, and surface area, has turned into a full-blown cross-curricular butterfly garden project! Mr. Duhrkopf played out a scenario of building a butterfly garden pulling from his own personal experience, as he has raised monarch butterflies and swallowtail caterpillars in his own backyard flower garden the past couple of years. Students enjoyed the learning hearing about Mr. Duhrkopf's garden, but started to wonder if this could actually become a reality at CHS as they moved further into the project. Eventually they got the go-ahead from Administration and started building.
Many teachers and other students are also involved in this project including Mr. Leiting's Industrial Technology classes building the flower beds, Mr. Eischeid's Horticulture class raising several plants from seedlings, and the English Department implementing a Little Free Library within the garden. Mark Skillen used funds from his Pella Staff Member of the Month Award to donate two benches to sit in the garden. Ms. Lux's students have jumped on board and will be helping with the day to day maintenance it will take to keep up the Butterfly Garden once finished. Over 100 students and multiple teachers will have taken part in this project at its completion.
The butterfly garden will be located on the northwest side of Carroll High School, just outside the library, and will be approximately 44'x30'. If you would like to follow the progress of this project, you can do so on their Facebook page. You can also learn more on their website.
If you have any questions or would like to provide assistance to the garden, please contact Mr. Scott Duhrkopf at sduhrkopf@carrolltigers.org.