N.A.T.I.V.E.S. (Naturally Advancing Today’s Investment- Valuing our Environment in Samsula!) Project- New Smyrna Beach, FL
Through the N.A.T.I.V.E.S. Project, 204 Samsula Academy’s Kindergarten through 5th grade students have the opportunity to participate in hands-on activities to gain knowledge about native plants and grasses home to Florida. On Saturday, March 31st Samsula Academy coordinated a Family Planting Day on the schools campus. Thanks to a grant from the Captain Planet Foundation students were provided with native plants that they planted in three different areas around the campus. The grant also provided funds for stereoscopes and with the assistance of an expert biologist students were able to see plant cell structure, the parts of a plant and how they reproduce.
The N.A.T.I.V.E.S. Project is a self sustaining permanent part of the Samsula Academy campus. In the future students will work with local organizations to develop a small native Florida ecosystem/ habitat on the campus utilizing the native plants that they received from the Captain Planet Foundation.
For more information about this project and Samsula Academy, please email Barbara Vola at bvola@readingedgeacademy.org