Looking for a way to end the school year feeling good? The Ecology Club is the perfect fit! As of the 2021 spring semester the ecology club has taken a jump in making the school a better place through simple actions. 

From freshmen to seniors, the Ecology Club is continuing to grow as the weather gets nicer and nicer. Most students were able to join through a google form or heard an announcement, however junior Melina WIliams joined hoping to improve her own skills through the club along with being in a positive atmosphere.

“One day I was talking to Mr Arnold about his plants (he’s a really earthy guy, really in touch with the earth and the beauty of our planet) and how I wish I did more planting of my own at my house. He told me about wanting to start an Ecology Club to have students help out in the green house. I knew right away I wanted to join because I knew right away with such an awesome teacher it would be fun,” WIlliams said.

The Ecology Club meets each Monday during 5th block to discuss future plans and projects along with simple work time. During this time members even experiment with new types of plants. 

“The geraniums are kind of fun because we use those in class and we do a cloning lab where we take cuttings off from other plants and make genetic copies. I had a couple batches that students started and they really took off in the green house,” Biology teacher John Arnold said.

The green house is located in the courtyard where most of the plants take off. Although it hasn’t been as active in recent years, it’s really taken off this spring. 

“We are just trying to get the green house up and going so it’s been a bit of a personal project but I’ve been blessed with students who are interested in learning and helping out getting plants started. We’ve really been working out there this last term because it used to just be more of storage and dirty work,” Arnold said.

Providing for others is one of the main goals of the Ecology Club. Although it may start with a small seed, the results go a long way. 

“We plan on improving the space in the greenhouse so that we can grow more plants themselves so we want to produce food that we can potentially fundraise for but mostly encourage healthy habits. We can supply the Nest and teachers and students who are interested and just some sort of system where we can supply fresh greens and vegetables. Our goal is to just keep expanding.”

The club also recently put on a plant sale in the greenhouse for any students or teachers interested. Different vegetables and plants were sold to raise money for the cultural diversity club’s trip to Washington D.C. next year.

“Our recent plant sale actually went really well and I’m surprised by how many teachers came. There weren’t as many students just because it’s the end of the day and everyone is ready to go home but the adults still bought a lot of plants. We have redfields, Japanese tomatoes, and we also have cherry tomatoes. Those were the ones that sold out really quickly,” freshman Sydney Shaffer said.

Joining the club comes with not only the experience, but also a great start to a resume. The ecology club provides for others while also providing fascinating information about different types of plants.

“I recommend students to join because it’s with such an amazing teacher, and everyone in the club is so inclusive and nice and so willing to start a conversation. Some benefits are really just learning how to grow and plant and learning the appropriate growing means for every different plant. It really has opened my eyes to not just plants, but that humans are like plants. We all need different means or resources to grow to our full potential,” Williams said.