Parker Junior High will soon be home to a new pollinator garden, partially funded by a $1,000 matching grant from the ComEd and Openlands Green Region Program.
The garden will be located in a highly visible space just outside the eighth-grade entrance doors at Parker. The initiative, a collaboration between Flossmoor School District 161 and the Village of Flossmoor’s Green Commission, aims to provide environmental education and sustainability awareness for students. The district will provide the matching $1,000 for the project.
“I am grateful for the donation from Openlands and ComEd,” District 161 Superintendent Dana Smith said. “This is a wonderful opportunity to support the environment and to beautify the entrance to our junior high school.”
The educational component of the project is still in development, but the goal is to integrate it into Parker’s Green Team lessons and hands-on learning experiences. Students will be actively involved in the process while they gain an understanding of biodiversity and learn the importance of supporting pollinators.
The Flossmoor Green Commission has surveyed the space and plans to plant a variety of native plants and shrubs that will support pollinators such as butterflies, birds and other beneficial species. Hardy native plants that thrive in the region, attract pollinators and offer year-round interest will be preferred.
“The Green Commission is deeply invested in enhancing and improving green spaces throughout the village and particularly values the opportunity to partner with schools on projects that connect students to the environment,” said Stephanie Wright, community engagement manager for the Village of Flossmoor. “The kids will be invited to plant. We are looking forward to that.”
ComEd, the largest electricity utility in Northern Illinois, and Openlands, a nonprofit organization dedicated to protecting natural spaces in the region, recently announced that they will fund 18 conservation projects through their 2025 grant program.
According to a press release, since its launch in 2013, the Green Region Program has distributed more than $2.45 million to support preservation efforts and create new environmental education spaces. Projects focused on climate change and pollinator conservation were encouraged this year.
