Last Saturday a group of five fifth graders from ISD’s Eco Elite Project raised $1,200 through a honey and bake sale, with all proceeds donated to Greenwich Parks & Recreation.
The event spotlighted urgent environmental concerns and featured an educational hive exhibit highlighting the alarming collapse of the bee population and the importance of pollinators to our food systems.
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This effort is part of a broader service-learning initiative rooted in the school’s International Baccalaureate (IB) program, which empowers students to explore global issues through local action.
Alongside bees and pollination, the group’s research includes marine pollution, coral reef decline, the protective role of the ozone layer, and the medical significance of horseshoe crabs—whose blue blood is vital for vaccine safety.
Some students also used the event to advocate for SB-9, a proposed Connecticut law aimed at limiting the use of neonicotinoids—pesticides linked to pollinator decline and with significant implications for runoff into rivers and waterways across the state.
ISD Vice Principal Julie Webster, one of the group’s mentors, attended in support, joining parents, friends, and neighbors who helped make the event a success.
The students will present their full findings later this spring to fellow students and parents as part of a culminating exhibition.
Contributed photo
Contributed photo
