St. John’s Episcopal School eighth graders hosted an information outreach booth as part of Native Plants and Prairies Day on May 2 at the Bath House Cultural Center. The third annual event, hosted by the North Texas Master Naturalists, served to educate attendees on Texas flora and fauna and the use of native plants in home landscapes.

The students are members of a service learning group that is studying and facilitating efforts to save the Blackland Prairie at White Rock Lake. Under the guidance of science teacher Toni Herrin’s, students have been nurturing this fragile relic prairie for the past three years. While at the event, students educated the public about how to save its endangered ecosystem by controlling the invasive plants threatening the biodiversity.

In the third trimester of eighth grade, St. John’s students participate in projects that blend the elements of service learning: identification, research, planning and reflection - while developing a capacity for critical thinking, leadership, collaboration and overcoming obstacles. These small-group, student-driven experiences serve as a capstone to their St. John’s education.