Pallets become Ultimate Schoolyard Garden display at CPCC

Carpentry students at CPCC create sturdy walls from oak pallets.

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CLICK to view a brief video of the display under construction

By Rich Haag

Months of planning for the Ultimate Schoolyard Garden are taking form at Central Piedmont Community College’s Harper campus. Carpentry students are assembling the display for next year’s Southern Spring Home And Garden Show.
Recently, students learning about power tools from instructor Tony Hayes got to use those tools to turn recycled oak pallets into our exhibit following a plan created by LandDesign.
More than a dozen students in the carpentry shop at the Harper Campus were turning 4-by-4 pallets and 2-by-8 beams into sturdy walls up to 8 feet tall.
The grand entrance into the exhibit will be even taller. Visitors will walk through a mock bell tower more than three pallets high.
Inside, they’ll view 18 displays and thousands of plants, many of them draped on or even inside the walls. We wondered if the pallets could handle the load. Tony politely pointed out that pallets are made from oak because it is such strong material.
As if to make his point, Tony later ended up on the floor with a power drill in tight embrace as he helped students drill a hole into a tough piece of oak pallet.
Besides the exterior structure, the CPCC students will create a greenhouse out of wood framing and polyethylene.
Once both structures are finished, they will be taken apart in modules and later reassembled, just before the show starts in late February, inside one of the event’s exhibit halls.
While most people will come to the Ultimate Schoolyard Garden to see the many ways we can use plants, animals and even insects to teach our children, Tony hopes the visitors will realize the display has its own lessons to share – including how we can make good use of recyclable materials.

Learn more about Ultimate Schoolyard Garden

The finished Ultimate Schoolyard Garden will be on display at the Southern Spring Home & Garden Show, Feb.21-23 and Feb. 28-March 2 at the Park Expo and Conference Center. Visit Ultimateschoolyardgarden.org to learn more about our project and keep up with its development.

Third STEM Outdoor Learning Event was picture-perfect fun

Jennifer Covington with Huber Technology explains how we are able to clean and reuse water

CLICK to view the event video

A beautiful fall morning at the Duke Energy Explorium on Lake Norman: Who could have asked for a better setting for the Third Annual STEM Outdoor Catawba River Learning Laboratories?
On Sept. 27, more than 500 fifth graders from schools in the River District came to get hands-on learning and inspiration about the importance of science, technology, engineering and math. The Catawba River District coordinated the event in partnership with the UNC Charlotte Center for STEM Education
Scores of volunteers from local businesses, colleges and environmental groups oversaw the learning stations and shared their knowledge and enthusiasm with eager learners.
One veteran of previous STEM fairs was Jennifer Covington with Huber Technology. As she waited with co-workers for the first students to come to their water-cleansing activity, she reflected on how much learning takes place when kids have access to hands-on programs like this.
“There are so enthusiastic and ready to learn. They love touching things and looking in microscopes. They really just enjoy the entire event,” Covington said.

Instructor Wayne Fisher talks to the students about deer

The students spent two hours moving among nearly 20 learning activities. Belmont Abbey College students led students through a pollution activity. WCNC meteorologist John Wendel not only talked about the weather, he created a mini-tornado for students in a mist cloud.
Craig Wyant with the NC Wildlife Federation had many animal skins for students to touch, while David Fogarty with the Gaston branch of the NC Cooperative Extension explained local flora. Wayne Fisher, who oversees science instruction in Charlotte-Mecklenburg elementary schools, even got kids to pretend they were deer.

Mayors Patrick Cannon, left and Bryan Hough handle snakes for the crowd of kids.

Lesson in snake handling

The event ended with lunch on the lakeside lawn and a chance for students and teachers to get one last lesson: in snake handling!
“Do you think these two gentlemen are going to be able to hold our snakes,” a naturalist asked to loud cheers as others handed large nonpoisonous snakes to the event’s two celebrity guests, Mayor Pro Tem Patrick Cannon of Charlotte (now mayor) and Mayor Bryan Hough of Mount Holly.
Children and adults alike laughed as the two men cautiously let the snakes slither up their arms. The snakes don't see us as humans, the naturalists explained. They think we are trees for climbing!
Jeffrey Ruppenthal, principal of Mountain Island Elementary School, spent the day with his fifth graders. The STEM fair is a valuable learning event for his students, he said. “For one thing, they’re right next to the river. It’s important to see that not only is this the waterway for their community, but it’s also the water-drinking source, and then they’re out here doing hands-on experiments in the beautiful weather.”
Students also liked this different way to learn. “We had all these activities,” one boy said, “which made it fun.”

Interactive Learning Station hosts:

• Belmont Abbey College Elementary Education
• Carolina Raptor Center
• Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools Elementary Science
• Charlotte-Mecklenburg Storm Water Services
• Charlotte Mecklenburg Utilities - Grease Free Education Program
• DoYourPart - Terri Bennett
• Huber Technology
• Mecklenburg County Park and Recreation
• Mecklenburg County Air Quality
• Mecklenburg County Environmental Health – Groundwater
• Mountain Island State Education Forest
• NC Cooperative Extension – Gaston County
• NC Wildlife Federation
• ReCommunity
• UNC Charlotte Center for STEM Education
• UNC Charlotte Recycling
• WCNC – meteorologist John Wendel

Participating schools

• Ida A. Rankin Elementary
• Catawba Heights Elementary
• Mountain Island Elementary
• River Oaks Academy
• Whitewater Academy

Event sponsors

• Duke Energy
• Huber Technology
• Piedmont Natural Gas
• Novant Health
• Catawba River District

Welcome to our team's new members!

Our leaders: (front row) Ann Danzi, Beth Mack, Edna Chirico; (middle) Robb Little, Alice Battle, Kathi Robinson; (rear) Burt Philips, William Daleure II, Dale Stewart; (absent) Henk-Jan von Ettekoven

By Edna Chirico
Executive Director

The Catawba River District recently added three new members to our Executive Board. Each brings unique skills and passion to the work of the Catawba River District.

Alice Battle

First is Alice Battle, a long- time environmental advocate. I’ve known Alice for several years and have respected her leadership on the Mountain Island Lake Marine Commission and as a dedicated cove keeper. Alice also serves on the board of the Catawba River Women’s Group. She lives on Mountain Island Lake and can often be found in her pontoon boat not only enjoying the lake but also volunteering as a caretaker, advocate and voice in protecting this invaluable source of drinking water supply for more than a million people. Alice will lead the River District’s strategic initiative to support parks and greenways, blue ways, and environmental stewardship education.

Henk-Jan van Ettekoven

Henk-Jan van Ettekoven is the director of service and manufacturing for Huber Technology, one of our strategic partners. Henk and Jennifer Covington, also from Huber Technology, have created and presented one of learning stations at our annual outdoor STEM Festival for more than 500 fifth graders. Henk joins the board to ensure that our programs continue to focus on STEM skills and career learning.

Beth Mack

Last and youngest is Beth Mack. The Mecklenburg Health Department hired Beth, a registered dietician, in 2011 to complete an analysis of area schools on a Farm to School platform. She developed the first comprehensive list of Charlotte Mecklenburg schools involved in gardening. Beth recently joined Chartwell and is developing an enhanced local food program for UNC Charlotte. Beth will work on our Farm to School initiative within the Catawba River District, as well as the regional Green Teacher Network.

Durham Tech to host NC Community Garden Gathering Nov. 9

Community gardeners from across North Carolina will gather for a day of learning, networking and fun on Saturday, November 9, 2013, at Durham Tech in Durham, NC.

The event, Nurturing Sustainable Community Gardens: How To Get Rooted In Your Community, will feature presentations on community gardening topics from food raising to fundraising, a community garden tour of the Briggs Avenue Community Garden, and a lively Pecha Kucha showcase of creative garden ideas.

Dr. Lucy Bradley of NCSU will give an overview of community gardening across North Carolina.

“Help spread the word to anyone interested, and please attend if you can,” writes Don Boekelheide, a longtime community gardener in the Charlotte region.

“Not only will you really enjoy meet like-minded folks from all over the state and pick up great contacts and cool ideas, you'll have a great time and eat well.”

School gardens are part of the agenda, he adds, and so is finding grants and support.

The event is sponsored by the North Carolina Community Garden Partners (NCCGP) and Nourishing North Carolina. 

Want to go?

The event will be 8:30 a.m.-4:30 P.M. at the Phail Wynn Jr. Student Center at Durham Tech, 1637 E Lawson St  Durham, NC 27703. Registration includes lunch. Cost is $15 for NCCGP members, $20 for others. Get details at nccgp.eventbrite.comCLICK HERE for more details and online registration