Almost 20 Lanier Middle School (LMS) Eco-Club students participated in a community work day in the City of Fairfax on Veteran's Day sponsored by management consulting firm, Accenture and Virginia Lands and Waters.
Students and volunteers planted blueberry bushes and Sweetbay magnolia trees in and around Lanier's bioretention cell. The bioretention cell, created earlier this year in partnership with Lands and Waters, includes indigenous plants to help reduce the runoff from the parking lot. Eight students, led by LMS special education science teacher Faiza Alam, 20 Accenture volunteers and two staff from Lands and Waters worked together on Monday to expand the project.
At Kutner Park, 10 students along with Accenture and Lands and Waters Volunteers worked to remove invasive species and plant native trees and bushes. This is the second consecutive year the three groups have worked together in environmental study and community volunteer projects.
“Students learn best when they are able to apply concepts learned in class to real life situation and they become good citizen by engaging in community service," said Alam. "The Veteran’s Day Community Workday with Accenture on is a perfect example. The students are applying the science concept of understanding the ecosystem and human impact while being great environmental stewards.”
