St Oliver’s transition students biodiversity in school garden

ST Oliver’s Community College’s project is called ‘Biodiversity in the School Garden’.

The idea came about after they watched David Attenborough: A Life on Our Planet. It said in the documentary how human beings had over run the world.

However, what this group of 26 Transition Year students wanted to voice was that if humans can ruin the world, then humans can also put it right.

They decided that they would create awareness around the idea of bringing biodiversity into everyone’s garden.

Biodiversity is the variety of life on earth that supports the health of our planet.

The students wanted to take an area on the school grounds and turn it into a small biodiverse garden. They were planning on starting the garden after Christmas.

Unfortunately, lockdown soon put a halt to their plans. Once school is back after the Easter holidays, they will be putting their gardening gloves on.

They plan on having native wildflowers that feed butterflies and attract bees as they are a source of both pollen and nectar. There are also homemade bug hotels and bird feeders ready to go into the garden.

‘ The students had to create a ‘speak out’ video during lockdown on what their idea is all about,’ said teacher Seoidin Clarke.

‘Carolina Koenig Donate, Olivia Fesl, Dylan McCarthy and Seán Beirth played a key role in organising, filming, and editing this 2-minute short film. They did a fantastic job and the ‘speak out’ video turned out to be great.

‘I am so proud of all my 26 Transition Year students who all played vital roles in different aspects of the planning and organising of this project.

‘Even with the challenge of lockdown they didn’t give up which shows great strength and determination. Two great qualities to see in such creative young people,’ Ms Clarke continued.

This is the line to the video https://youtu.be/ jtHhWsAtVPo