My Alternative Spring Break Journey: Rain Gardens

On Tuesday, the group headed out to two local elementary schools and helped clean up their rain gardens that are a part of the Schoolyard Rain Garden Project. 

Tuesday consisted of working at two local elementary schools

These rain gardens intercept stormwater runoff from entering nearby bodies of water by trapping litter and other various pollutants. 

First, we traveled to Kitty Hawk Elementary School. Here, there was a small rain garden filled with trash and weeds. 

We picked up all the litter, raked dead leaves, weeded the entire area, and put down a fresh bed of mulch. 

We worked on the rain garden
at Kitty Hawk Elementary School

Our work at Kitty Hawk Elementary School prepared us for our next stop, the First Flight Elementary School. Here, we tackled a larger rain garden by raking away dead leaves, picking up trash, picking out weeds, and using about 15 bags of mulch to make the rain garden look fresh. 

The end result of our work at First Flight Elementary School

Although we were tied down by monotonous work, I realized how beautiful nature can be. For me, the past year has been one filled with experiences of exploring nature and getting to know the environment around me. The best part of Tuesday was seeing the end product and realizing the impact of our hard work. So far, through Altetnative Spring Break, I have been able to appreciate the beauty if nature and become more aware of how to preserve and protect our environment. As we continue to explore different aspects of nature, I hope I can create new goals to maintain my role is protecting nature. 

All photos are my own.