A group of students recently learned the virtues of sweating at Hill Field Elementary.
Students from the elementary school and Davis School District's elmentary-level alternative program housed there rolled up their sleeves to plant 15 trees and 15 shrubs for a sprouting nature center. Students from Mountain High alternative school supervised the younger children."That's just the virtues of sweating. You make yourself uncomfortable, but something good comes out of it," said Teresa Flenniken, coordinator of the elementary alternative program, Creating Alternative Strategies in Education.
The program serves up to 12 children at a time with behavioral problems from all over the district, Flenniken said. Five students are enrolled.
The nature center, which is taking root on two acres donated by Hill Air Force Base, will serve as a built-in, hands-on science lab for students at Hill Field Elementary.
In the wetlands area, kids may spot salamanders, frogs and perhaps the former pet tarantula Flenniken's students recently released. Students also can learn about indigenous plants, marvel in a butterfly garden and crawl through a plastic underground tunnel to see the earth as a worm would.
A local Boy Scout troop is building a path around the outskirts of the nature center where attractions will be placed. Land in the middle will be left wild.
Each tree and shrub, planted by two students from each class, is tagged with its planter's grade levels so classes can monitor growth.
The shrubs and trees were obtained through the Children's Crusade for Trees grant. Erwin's Nursery in Hooper, Weber County, donated a greenhouse furnished with plants.
"I want to make sure things work well for her," said nursery owner and friend Frank Erwin, who also donated his time to advise Flenniken on plant care. "I appreciate what she's doing. Not very many people kick-start life anymore and do something on their own."
Flenniken also uses a $5,000 service learning grant and money from character education grants to develop the land.
"It's giving my students a chance to act as role models, learn appropriate behaviors and take on responsibility," Flen-ni-ken said. "They are working together to make something happen."