The rain and snow didn’t stop our Juniors from sowing our extensive new wildflower meadow at Church Farm this week, where the School’s estates team had prepared over 1.5 km² of ground along the edge of the A34.
Following a short demonstration from Mrs Wilson, the students started in the classroom by mixing 1kg of seeds, kindly funded by our generous Parent’s Association, into 25kg buckets of sand. After a damp walk to the farm in their new waterproof outdoor wear, another valuable investment from our PA they then spread the seed mixture evenly into the mud, working in small teams of four to complete the process.
As well as being patient with each other and learning to work efficiently in groups, all the students are looking forward to seeing the fruits of their labour over the coming months, as testified by Elise: “We all worked hard and learned that good work pays off. We hope to see them all flowering soon”. The students were also pleased to be creating something for future students to enjoy and doing their bit for nature and the environment: “Although sand was everywhere and the mud was slippery, we enjoyed doing this to make our school more sustainable and help pollinators”, said Chloe.
The sowing of our wildflower meadow perfectly complements our new insect houses built in 2022, as well as our fruit tree planting, all of which has helped to improve the ecology of the site. Our student-led Eco Council will continue to spearhead further projects across the School as part of our effort to be recognised as an Eco-School with a Green Flag award.
It is undeniable that in recent years the world has a renewed focus on sustainability and environmentalism. As a leading independent day school for girls and young women, St Helen and St Katharine is making a conscious effort to ensure that the discussions had around sustainability are not merely talk but catalysts for actionable change that students can actively be a part of.
Find out more about the environmental activities and initiatives going on at St Helen’s.
