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Elmwood Park school creates a haven for butterflies
Kiwanis member Ross Pontarelli works at planting flowers in the courtyard of Elmwood Elementary School. | Jerry Daliege~for Sun-Times Media
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Updated: May 28, 2012 8:20AM
With muddy hands and clothes, teachers and volunteers toiled in the soil Saturday to create a home for butterflies at Elmwood Elementary School in Elmwood Park.
The garden in the courtyard is being transformed with flowers and bushes that attract butterflies.
A transformation is taking place inside the school, as well. Students are taking care of caterpillars which will eventually be released into the school’s new garden.
Jamie Kanas, fourth-grade teacher at the school and organizer of the event, said the event was a prelude to Earth Day. The majority of the items used to create the garden were recyclable.
“We picked out mulch that is made out of recycled tires colored blue,” she said. “We chose car tires to plant the flowers in. I actually had edging going around the garden made out of 100 percent recycled plastic.”
“We contacted the Kiwanis Club in Elmwood Park and they came out to help,” she said. “They are a group of really fun people. It was really nice because many of them were experienced gardeners.”
Elmwood Elementary Principal Sue Ponzio came out to help as well.
“I was doing a lot of digging,” she said. “We hope to use the area for the use of butterflies but also for other lessons dealing with nature and the environment.”
Kanas said the location was not much to look at before.
“Saturday we decided to take an eyesore in our school and change it into something beautiful and usable for teachers and students,” she said.
