A butterfly perched on a cone flower (photo by Zachary-Chaz McMurdie).
Mrs. Lauren Weber, the school nurse at Iselin Middle School, and an advisor of the Garden Club assists the club to help students care for the school’s butterfly garden.
The Garden Club at Iselin Middle School is more than just a bunch of students who enjoy nature; it’s a group of students who want to make a difference in the environment. They help with planting, watering, weeding, and keeping the garden clean.
The club begins in October where students are given the opportunity to come after school on Tuesdays to help maintain the butterfly garden and have meetings on what could be done next to help the pollinators there in the garden.
Mrs. Weber has been a school nurse at IMS since 2011. She became an advisor for the Garden Club after the previous advisors retired because she liked gardens and wanted to help the environment.
“The club was already in effect when I began working here and when some people retired there wound up being some spots open,” Weber said. “So I said I like gardens, you know, I like the environment, let me help out with the Garden Club.”
She enjoys being a part of the club because she loves helping pollinators like bees and butterflies.
“I really like how our school does a butterfly garden that’s a safe place for pollinators, I think it’s really important that we support the bee population as well as the butterflies and other bugs and birds,” Weber said.
Pollution is a rapidly growing problem around the world, and not everyone knows how to help it. Mrs. Weber wanted to help teach students about the importance of taking care of the planet and why it should be done before it’s too late to do anything about it.
“I wanted to help support our school’s effort in teaching children about it as well as, you know, having that for our community,” she said.
The school’s club often partners with the Woodbridge Garden Club, a club for adults who like to garden, in order to take care of two gardens at the Iselin Public Library as a community. The two garden clubs work together to take care of the garden and help prepare it for the upcoming cold, winter season.
“We take care of two gardens — the garden for the blind and the rain garden that helps with rainwater.”
Over the years, Mrs. Weber has worked with many students, she finds that her favorite part is “their excitement when they learn something new.”
The Garden Club has various activities that the students participate in, such as picking up trash, removing any invasive plants, or any weeds. This really helps to bring out the beauty of the garden, and it is done by the advisors, staff, and students.
“I think because it’s rewarding, not only is it really good for the environment but it’s also really beautiful to look at, so I feel like it’s a win-win,” Weber said.
The Garden Club has helped the environment strive in more ways than one. Whether they’re planting flowers or picking up trash, these students are helping make the world a cleaner, greener place.