The 7th grade students at Tamarack Waldorf School read aloud in class your article about the Milwaukee river revitalization efforts. Learning about the Milwaukee River Work Group and the river corridor as Milwaukee’s “Central Park” helped prepare them to undertake a community service project May 20, in which they pulled garlic mustard and planted native trees.
Tamarack, on Brady Street near Humboldt, is within walking distance of the river’s trails. Here are some of the students’ written reactions to their experience:
“Our community service project was awesome,” wrote Alicia Luna. “The teachers were nice and for some reason, pulling out the mustard plants was fun.”
“I pulled about 100 of them or more. I lost count after 100,” wrote Jay-Niesha Bailey
“I enjoyed the break from the city environment,” wrote Ryan Revolinski.“When we were hiking, I enjoyed the fresh air and trying to picture what it would have looked like back when there was no city around.”
Demetrius Shumpert wrote, “I learned that I need to get out more in the forest and have more respect for nature.”
“Although I’m not very big on the wilderness, once I got there, it was fun for me,” wrote Aliyeh Lemmer. “I especially liked picking garlic mustard.”
“We have learned a lot,” wrote Jabari Cooper, “like not to step in poison ivy and that garlic mustard spreads fast.”
“The garlic mustard had its way, way too long,” wrote Diamond Barnett. “We need to fight back.”
Thank you to the Shepherd for putting the Milwaukee River and the efforts to preserve the land along its banks on the front page.Tamarack students are among those who value this natural resource.
The students’ community service project was carried out under the direction of Vince Bushell of the River Revitalization Foundation.Tamarack parents donated a little more than $100 toward the cost of the trees.
--compiled and submitted by Lori Barian, a parent of a Tamarack 7th grader and volunteer coordinator of the community service project.
Click here for the original story (Shepherd Express - May 7, 2008)
