Blakelock High School attracts butterflies with new gardenBecause of the late spring thisCommunity invited to year, the garden is not yet as lus-cious as it could be, but Warcholakribbon-cutting ceremonysaid the butterflies will come withthe warmer weather.By Dominik KurekIn the summer time, you seeOAKVILLE BEAVER STAFFthe greatest diversity. In the fall, thekids will still be impressed butFor years, the empty courtyard in the theres less variety, I find, he said.middle of T. A. Blakelock High School was an The school invites anyone in theunder-used spot.community to check out the gardenHowever, science teacher Terry Warcholak during the opening ceremony onsaw it as more than a grass-overgrown piece Thursday, including Blakelockof land.alumni who were involved in build-So, with the help of hundreds of students, ing the garden. construction teacher Leo Petti and his class-The ceremony will run fromes and other teachers along the way, the 10:30 a.m. to noon. It will includespace has been converted into a butterfly the ribbon cutting, as well as a bar-garden.becue and bake sale. Live music willSix years after the project was started, the be provided by the Blakelock Stringtwo teachers and the school are inviting Quartet and various dignitaries havepeople in the community to a ribbon-cutting been invited to attend.ceremony on Thursday, June 2 where they The school is located at 1160will showcase the new addition to the Rebecca St.SUBMITTED PHOTOschool.THE GARDEN: Pictured is the new butterfly This was all grass, Warcholak said. The garden at T. A. Blakelock High School. The photoonly thing that would have been here five was taken last summer.years ago, were the trees.The project began about six years ago, with a group of students making the initial The long-term goal is for this to be alandscaping design. But it was in the last learning space, Warcholak said.three years or so that a big push was made to As an example, he said the garden couldmake the garden a reality.be used for ecology studies and other classesThis is very much student driven. We try could conduct their lessons there.to support it as much as we can, but its their The garden is wheelchair accessible andbaby, said Petti. These kids are really proud even though the garden is complete, theof this. They put in a lot of hard work and a teachers have further plans for the space,lot of hours.such as building an outdoor classroom. Funding came from various sponsors, This is a project that will be going onstudent fundraising initiatives, such as the forever because there are always things toBlakelock eco-schools committee, and from add, Petti said.other sources.To attract butterflies, Warcholak wasStudents also did the actual labour.selective in the plants he put in the ground.Pettis construction students built the Every single plant that is in the gardeninfrastructure, such as the woodwork in the has been selected to attract butterflies, hegarden, while the eco-schools committee did said. So it either has food for the adults orthe planting and built other portions of the food for the caterpillars. Probably, 95 pergarden. cent of the plants are native species.ECUDEStarting Saturday May 1, 2011RSpelrainSgnReescreSpring has sprung!The bugs are about...So fi x those screensto keep them out!Aluminum or Fibreglass MeshInstalled in our shopAny Size!$0040+ applicable taxesPet Resistant ScreenInstalled in our shopAny Size!R$00EUSE80+ applicable taxes24 Hour Turnaround(except on Saturdays - pick up will be on Monday) Roller, Corner & Handle replacement are extra.elcSale effective from May 1st - May 31st 2011ycer550 Bronte Rd., Oakville 905.827.29519 Friday, May 27, 2011 OAKVILLE BEAVER www.insideHALTON.com