April 2015

The Home Depot manager thought that our project was a very good cause and donated lumber to the group! Bee Boxes have been made thanks to the help of Howie, a very experienced bee keeper in our community. He taught us how to make the boxes and let us each build one. The visit with Howie was actually pretty inspiring. He was so passionate about what he does and he was so eager to teach us about bee keeping. Even though i did learn a lot from Howies visit, I came to realize that there's a lot about beekeeping that I don't know, I have to catch up on my research!

The next step was to paint the boxes, before the bees aarrive. This was fun because I got to work with some of my group members one on one.

March 2015

We have begun writing up a apiary proposal for the school district, and we have been told that it is missing some parts to it. We have to go back and revise the proposal, and add information as to how the bees will be maintained on school grounds, and how we will handle the kids who might be allergic. We had to consider the fact that some people may be hurt by the bees and whether or not it was ethical to actually have the apiary on school grounds because it could potentially hurt some students. I thought it best to have it be in a more secluded part of the outdoor science classroom with the fence surrounding the bee hive, that way it'd be safer for the students and others who come visit the bees. Mr. Bollinger signed off and Mrs. Hellman agreed to carry an epi pen in her classroom once the fence gets put up, all we really have to do is revise the proposal now.

This has been a rough month so far for the group. On the bright side, we have ordered the bees. In the mean time (while we wait for permission from the district) they will stay at Jared's house, he has the space for them.

Unfortunately, we probably could have thought through things better, because Jared's lumber proposal is going to take a lot longer than expected, so basically we don't have wood to build the boxes for the bees that are going to be here in two weeks.

Perseverance is key!

February 2015

We went over to Howie's and he taught us all how to build the bee boxes. I'd never actually built anything out of wood in my life, so it was fun to learn a new skill. :)

This month I was also in charge of coming up with more fundraising ideas. Hopefully, after this month there will be enough money raised that we don't need to worry about it for the remainder of the project. Some may seem cliche, but we don't necessarily need to do all of them.

Fundraising ideas I came up with:

• Hat day
• Cotton Candy Concessions at the elementary schools. Kids love candy!
• Old Fashioned Bake Sale during lunch
• Give the remaining donuts form the morning to Mrs. Raper, ask for .50 cents per donut since she sells them for a dollar all throughout the day.

January 2015

We found out that in order to build the apiary it is probably best to contact the district. Aside from moving forward with our apiary establishment plan, we mainly just focused on fundraisers. In selling concessions on Friday mornings and during some athletic events and helping out with some yard work we have bee able to raise enough money to buy bees. Marta believes she knows a guy who can build bee boxes instead of us having to buy them, Jared volunteered to find lumber.

December 2014

In all honesty, this month has had pretty slow progress. All of us are pretty busy with all the school work to be done in these last few weeks before winter break. The plan is written out, now it's just a matter of being in the position to initiate it. After break, we will start selling coffee/tea/hot chololate/donuts on Friday mornings before school. Then we will also ask Mr. B about the procedure for establishing the apiary.

November 2014

This month was mainly planning. We got together and assigned roles for everyone. My job is to come up with fundraising ideas so we may get the ball rolling, and be able to buy some bees and bee supplies later on. So far I have thought that perhaps we could ask a favor of the principle and promote a dollar hat day at the school, or, we could sell some concessions at the games, since Eric has a cotton candy machine, a kettle corn machine, and a nacho machine. The idea of selling coffee in the mornings before school also came up. We can't really do anything until we have bees or permission, so we also plan to ask the principle about the conditions that have to be met in order to set up an apiary.

October 2014

This month, I had decided that with my job and school, I do not have time at the moment to pursue my current C.A.S. idea. I may come back to it if I have time, because it really is an area of interest to me. Now, I am looking to join a group of friends, but it may take some time to gain their trust and show them that I really do want to help out.

Jared, Marta, Ellie, and Eric's group focuses on the importance of bees. Until they told me, I had not known that bees are on the endangered list in our valley. Bees provide many good things for us. They benefit the plants, animals, and provide agricultural services for us. I was told that bees are responsible for one out of every three bites we eat. They wish to build a bee apiary in the outdoor science classroom far enough away for students to observe and learn, but also be safe and not be stung. Then, maybe further along next year, build more in the orchards in town and sell honey.

They say I can join the group, but I have to show promise.

September 2014

I did a bit of research on the Migration Center, and found out there volunteering policies. When I went in to sign up, the person at the counter told me that it would be quite a bit of work to get my idea up and running, but it was worth a try. Looking at the times I would be able to volunteer and my schedule, I came to the conclusion that perhaps I should rethink my strategies. I would have little time to actually volunteer, and without the credibility it would be difficult to establish the programs I want to.

August 2014

I feel that my community could use a bit of help, culturally. During peach season, there is an abundance of peach farmers willing to work out on the fields. Unfortunately, not all of these people have learned English because they have not been given the opportunity to. Fortunately, there is a Migration Center here in Palisade willing to help these immigrants in any way they can. I would like to help establish an E.S.L program and perhaps certain holiday programs with help from the Migration Center. At this point I am working on how I can gain some credibility with the Center, and that may start  with a bit of volunteering hours.