Everett residents, Lynnou Modestin, left, and Rafaela De Oliveira, middle, present their knowledge about bees with fellow student Mourad Deihim, right.
Pioneer Charter School of Science seventh graders hosted the, “What’s the Buzz About Bees?” even. This was the final project of a month-long multiple subject unit combining Science, English Language Arts, Math, and Social Studies. The entire seventh grade class dressed in yellow and black before performing in front of community members. The students were interested in bringing attention to a threatened animal that has an effect on our everyday lives: the honeybee. PCSS would like to thank parents and Ward Six Councilwoman Catherine Tomassi Hicks for attending.
In recent years, our honeybee populations are being threatened Colony Collapse Disorder characterized by devastating losses to the agriculture industry. The reasons for Colony Collapse Disorder are currently unknown, but researchers are hard at work to determine the cause. The seventh graders endeavored to raise awareness of the alarming situation in the beekeeping industry.
To prepare for this event, some students researched information about the anatomy and day-to-day lives of various types of honeybees and presented this information at the event via PowerPoint presentations, rehearsed dialogue, and entertaining skits. Other students discovered information about Colony Collapse Disorder and the current plight of the honeybee and conveyed information via collages of news articles, songs, and advertisements for the event. One group of students spent time creating and selling ribbons, bracelets, and cookies to raise awareness about the need for honeybee research.
Tinsae Aklilu, a student involved with researching current news articles regarding the disappearance of honeybees, had this to say about the event: “I think that the phenomenon that was going on in that gymnasium has the power to change the lives of many farmers and beekeepers and everybody else involved with bees.” The seventh grade students strove to educate and entertain the audience at the same time. The hour-long honeybee event was attended by students, faculty, and community members and was regarded as a success.