Earlier this month, fourth graders visited Ashley Hall’s Johns Island property to learn from the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) and continue a carbon footprint project they have invested in all year long: the Seeds to Shoreline program.
“Students have been working with DNR to learn about climate change and how we can help,” noted Lower School faculty member Beth McCarty. “One of the ways is to plant marsh grass since plants absorb CO2.” As part of the Seeds to Shoreline program, students learn about the importance of salt marsh ecosystems and actively contribute to the restoration process — including harvesting, storing, germinating, cultivating, and planting Spartina along the coast. For students, the hands-on learning results in a deeper appreciation of the intricate Lowcountry ecosystems found in their own backyards.
Back on campus after their Johns Island visit, students prepared beds and planted Spartina seedlings which they harvested in the fall and hope will eventually sprout. Come May, they will eagerly witness the project come full circle, in more ways than one. “It is a great project because the students can see the marsh from Ashley Hall students last year and the years before,” explained McCarty. “You can see it is helping with erosion too!”