In Fall 2019, students from Torrington High School’s (THS) BioClub, Honors Biology, and Introductory Biology classes in partnership with Northwestern Connecticut Community College (NCCC) and the Northwest Conservation District (NWCD) helped plant a native pollinator rain garden in the THS courtyard. The garden will serve as a LID watershed management space and living laboratory for students at THS and NCCC. Stormwater runoff will be significantly reduced as a result of this low-maintenance installation.

This garden will expand opportunities for students to become further involved in outdoor citizen science projects that can lead to long-term studies of various research questions. Ownership and investment in a particular scientific question, and exposure to nature, have been shown time and again to deepen students’ connection to the planet, increase interest in the subject at hand, and broaden their concepts of what is possible for their own future.

This project was made possible thanks to a grant from the Environmental Professionals Organization of Connecticut (EPOC).
Special thanks to Northwestern Connecticut Community College and Torrington High School for their work on this collaboration!