The young ladies of Girl Scout Cadette Troop 1980 out of Cockeysville have been busy this year and just recently were able to see the fruits of their labors with the completion of a Butterfly Garden and Monarch Waystation at Padonia International School.
As a part of earning their Silver Award, the second highest honor in Girl Scouting, these 6th graders developed an all-encompassing program called "Monarch Mania" to bring back the Monarch butterflies which have been in decline with the increasing loss of their habitats.
The girls' program included working with a group of 25 3rd and 4th graders as part of an after-school club at Padonia International, coordinating plantings with Master Gardener Pam Spencer, advocating for reduced mowing by BGE and creating colorful pavers for the use in the garden. The garden itself is designated as an "Official Monarch Waystation" and will provide milkweed, nectar sources and shelter as needed to sustain Monarch butterflies as they migrate through North America.
The girls were all very pleased with how the garden turned out but enjoyed working with the younger students even more. They loved getting to know the other girls and seeing the smiles on their faces as they learned about Monarchs and helped to plant the garden.
Congratulations to Scouts, Lucy Anstett, Sarah Barbour, Violet Birch-Hughes, Lydia Capp, Sarah Frohme, Alexis Hunt, Tess Ledieu, Gwyn Montgomery, Natalie Taylor, Caitlyn Williams and Kendall Wilson. We are sure to see more Monarchs around Cockeysville thanks to your efforts!
Pot Spring Elementary is bidding a fond farewell to Joy Brown as she retires after teaching for 41 years. Since 2003, students at Pot Spring were lucky enough to have Mrs. Brown as their Science and Math Resource teacher.
Not only is she an outstanding math teacher, but her passion for all things green will leave a lasting legacy at Pot Spring. One of the highlights of Mrs. Brown's tenure was the introduction of the annual "Earth Day, Every Day" celebration where the entire school spends the day learning outside the walls while tackling a fun and meaningful project.
The Pot Spring campus now boasts a butterfly garden, a meadow, a Blue Bird Trail and 100-plus more trees. It is hard to list all of the activities that Mrs. Brown has been involved with over the years but it is safe to say that she has instilled in all her students a love of learning, in recycling and caring for our planet.
It was fitting to honor Mrs. Brown at her final "Earth Day, Every Day" with former students, colleagues and parents stopping by to recall their favorite moments with her.
Good luck to you, Mrs. Brown – wishing you a relaxing and enjoyable retirement!