Lower School students and faculty celebrated wildly, with a little bit of sadness in their hearts because they were also saying farewell, as seven Monarch butterflies were released into the wildlife on October 24 at the Lower School garden. The release of the butterflies capped a one-month journey that began with their arrival as larvae in mid-September and continued with daily care by the students and their teachers.
The third grade classes, led by Ms. Heiss, Mrs. Pedde and Mrs. Sari, welcomed them into Sra. Hinestroza’s Lower School Spanish classroom and placed them into their temporary home. All the Lower School students pledged to be Monarch butterfly protectors by adding their names to the “Protectores de las Mariposas Monarca” bulletin board and by getting their picture taken with Monarch butterfly wings.
For the past month, students and teachers continued to marvel at the amazing natural transformation, which became a wonderful experience for all the Lower School students who watched them grow every time they came to the Spanish classroom.
Led by Sra. Hinestroza during the release, the students shared positive affirmations in Spanish and third graders recited a poem to wish the butterflies well as they departed. Included in the affirmations were two values that distinguish us – we are Protectors of the Monarch Butterflies, we are LA.
The students learned Monarch butterflies are heading south to look for better conditions: warmer weather and milkweed. Many Monarch butterflies travel all the way to Mexico and have an internal GPS that takes them to the same area their ancestors visited in previous years.
“We would love our students to research how we can provide the Monarchs we host in the future better conditions for their survival and involve more members of our community,” Sra. Hinestroza said.