The Blair Middle School oyster restoration project addresses water pollution in Knitting Mill Creek by combining pollution prevention with natural filtration. Students installed oyster cages at the Elizabeth River Project Ryan Resilience Lab, conducted litter cleanups, and began monitoring water quality. This project shows how students can work with community partners to create a sustainable, long-term solution for improving local waterways. 

Students used recycled pallets to create a native raised bed garden and outdoor classroom designed to connect them to nature and support local ecosystems. They planted 18 native plants to support pollinators and promote biodiversity. The project helped them learn about sustainability while giving them an opportunity to create and enjoy a new outdoor space to appreciate nature and art.

Camp E.W. Young sits right on the banks of the Southern Branch of the Elizabeth River, a portion of the river that is a major thoroughfare for vessels traveling on the Intracoastal Waterway. The banks of the river have been heavily eroded by wave action from passing boats, and flooding is common during high tides and heavy rainstorms. Students planted more than 1,000 native wetland plants along the shoreline and 30 pollinator plants in raised beds this year to stabilize the soil along the riverbank, attract and support pollinators and help reduce flooding and erosion. 

Second graders made small composting bins and added worms! They carefully measured the needed materials to create the perfect mixture for the worms. In total, students brought 28 pounds of food waste from home to compost. The worms will eat the compost and create worm casings, which will help provide nutrient rich soil and fertilizer for the school’s garden.

During the 25-26 school year the Churchland High School AP Environmental Science students completed a year-long MWEE through hands-on oyster restoration research at Paradise Creek Nature Park. Students raised and monitored 10,000 native Eastern Oyster spat, went on kayaking field investigations, and collected environmental data to evaluate oyster growth and survival in a highly industrialized river ecosystem. Through this work students developed inquiry, research and data analysis skills while supporting Chesapeake Bay oyster restoration efforts.

Students transformed an empty patch of grass into a thriving native wildflower sanctuary to support local bees and butterflies. By planting over 2,000 seeds, they aim to increase local pollinator activity by 20% while overcoming the challenge of stubborn weeds and unpredictable spring weather. These students are proof that small seeds—and small hands—can grow a big difference for their environment!

The Deep Creek campus garden had been neglected for several years so the environmental club saw an opportunity to improve it. With the support from Elizabeth River Project staff and an Earth Force grant, they worked to weed, repair, and improve the garden so that 135 native plants could be planted and nurtured in the garden for transplantation around the campus where needed.

Douglass Park 6^th graders completed three projects this year aimed at increasing biodiversity and decreasing erosion at their school yard. They installed 3 bird feeders, planted 30 sunflower seeds, and made improvements to their raised bed/courtyard garden area to help reduce erosion.

Norview Middle School has several outdoor spaces that are not used by the students, and those spaces collect trash, so students decided to hold a litter clean up. By removing trash from these outdoor spaces, students helped prevent it from being surface runoff pollution and helped make outdoor spaces more appealing and environmentally friendly. 

Students at St. John the Apostle Catholic school collaborated and collectively chose to focus on Watershed Awareness through an educational campaign as their project. 8th grade students researched which components would be most valuable for pre-K-5^th grade by talking to teachers about their science lessons. Educational visits about water conservation and pollution prevention were designed by 8th grade students and 6th grade Life Science students served as facilitators. Older students led younger students in a lesson about the importance of caring for our watershed.

Third Grade students first studied different types of soil, including silt from the Elizabeth River gathered from the Haven Creek boat ramp. They then germinated bean seeds in the window and other types of seeds in a Hydroponic Garden Tower. Once the seeds sprouted, they moved the seeds to soil and grew the plants in the classroom window before moving them outside. Some 2nd-5th graders in the Afterschool Gardening and School Beauty clubs worked to clean up the area around the old school garden. They removed old, broken wood borders and dumped the excess ground covering into the forest. They cleaned up the garden beds and transplanted the bean plants and 12 native plants into the beds. They colored the planter boxes and made a platform for the compost bin. Next year, afterschool students will start composting their dinner scraps.