Bees are the class pets for these Quebec students, thanks to their science teachers
The school year might be coming to an end, but at Knowlton Academy there is one class project just getting off the ground.
This spring, science teachers at the elementary school in Quebec's Eastern Townships set up a beehive, with students of all ages helping care for it.
"I wanted students to understand … the majority of our food has to be pollinated by bees," said Matthew Quesnelle, who goes by Mr. Q with his students.
Quesnelle and fellow science teacher Heidi Neil got started on the project last fall by applying for a grant from the Whole Kids foundation in Atlanta. The foundation works to support programs that encourage the health and well-being of students through nutrition, and they have a grant specifically aimed at helping to set up beehives at schools in the United States and Canada.
Science teacher and amateur beekeeper Matthew Quesnelle says that it’s a lot of fun having a beehive. (Holly Bailey/Eastern Townships School Board)
Quesnelle is also a beekeeper on his own time, a fact that Neil says has been invaluable in making the program a success.
"Matt's very organized in the way that he introduces the bees to the students," she said, pointing out that Quesnelle's calm approach means that even the junior kindergarten class at the school has been able to come see the bees without any incidents.
The key to interacting with bees is to remain calm, says Quesnelle, pointing out that the tiny pollinators are generally not as aggressive as some stinging wasps. (Gordon Lambie/CBC)
A hands-on experience
Seventh-grader Anton Zeitlinger Fontana said that the project means a lot to him because he has been fascinated by bees for a long time.
"Bees are quite interesting. I like them a lot. And I'm not too scared of them," Anton said.
For Isabella Funderburg, in Grade 5, the bees are kind of like the class pet she has never been able to have.
"There's so many and it's so interesting to know that they have their certain ways of life that's just in a box that we can look at," she shared, observing the busy bees through a special window installed in the side of the hive by her teachers.
LISTEN | These class pets are the bees' knees for Quebec students:
A community project
The school board was not in favour of having a beehive on the school grounds, so Quesnelle turned to the community for help.
He says it was a retired teacher from the school, Jan Ryzora, who connected the project with the nearby Cranker family. They offered up a part of their yard to serve as a home for the hives that is just a short walk away from the school.
Anton Zeitlinger-Fontana, Isabella Funderburg and Owen Patch show off the protective equipment that students at Knowlton academy use when working closely with the school beehive. (Holly Bailey/Eastern Townships School Board)
Neil also shared that the hive boxes themselves are a bit of a community project.
The wooden boxes were put together by Camlen, a local furniture company, and then decorated by students who held a contest for the best bee-themed design.
Making the back-to-school season a little sweeter
With the school year coming to an end, it falls to Quesnelle to maintain the school hive over the summer.
The hive boxes, made by a local company specializing in wooden furniture, were decorated by students at the school. According to art teacher Heidi Neil, students submitted a number of bee-themed designs. (Holly Bailey/Eastern Townships School Board)
But the science teacher said that there will be opportunities for returning students to come back to the hives when the school year starts up again.
He says there is a plan to hold a fundraiser including garlic from the school garden and honey collected from the hive.
For this first year, he expects to have to supplement the harvest from his own hives. But as the project goes on he said that the hive's honey production should get bigger.
