All About the Bees

A new addition to campus this spring was a small pollinator garden planted next to the Erisman Student Center on the Beveridge Hall side. Susan Zelenko P28 led the project, sharing her vision and expertise, along with Tricia Glass P21 and Jessica Stanton P22.

Members of the Upper School Green Action Committee, along with faculty advisor Mary Frances Hanover, and 5th grade teacher Tamara Nikuradse and her students planted native species that will invite bees, butterflies, birds and other useful insects to the Dana Hall campus. Plants include:

• Sweet goldenrod
• Gayfeather
• Sundial lupine
• Black-eyed Susan
• Arkansas bluestar
• Columbine
• Swamp milkweed
• Sweet fern
• Purple giant hyssop
• Early sunflower
• Aster

“We feel we are all stewards of the planet in some way, shape or form, and of each other,” Zelenko said, “and that while a pollinator garden is an excellent opportunity for STEAM learning, it is also a continuation of Dana Hall’s commitment to sustainability—another example of how Dana Hall can incorporate global needs into the School’s ethos and mission.”

Wellesley has joined the Northeast Pollinator Pathway and teamed up with Sustainable Wellesley and the Wellesley National Resources Commission to launch pollinator gardens throughout the town through an initiative called Pollinate Wellesley. A “Pedals to Petals” map is being created so residents and visitors can bike or walk to the various pollinator gardens throughout Wellesley for inspiration and enjoyment, Zelenko said. The Dana Hall campus will have a spot on that map.

“Sustainability is something in which we all have a role to play, even if it’s a simple pollinator garden,” Zelenko said. “Dana Hall can be an empowering example and leader.”