The students of King’s Fork High School’s Ecology Club received generous support from the ladies of the Nansemond River Garden Club last month towards a living learning laboratory at the school.

Members of the Garden Club donated funds to the Ecology Club on May 16 that will be used to create a pollinator garden behind the school. The garden will feature solely Virginia native species of plants and will be part of an approximately 1.5-acre outdoor learning laboratory that’s being built at the school, according to Tonya Bangley, KFHS biology teacher and Ecology Club advisor.

“We hope to be able to create a site that will educate the public on the beauty of native species and the importance of planting (native) species to preserve biodiversity and keep the ecosystem healthy,” Bangley wrote in an email.

Nansemond River Garden Club President Linda Consolvo said the Ecology Club’s effort will help inspire children and show them the importance of conserving and protecting their environment, which is parallel to the garden club’s own mission.

“Our civic committee was particularly impressed with the enthusiasm and organization of the Ecology Club,” Consolvo said on May 16.

The Ecology Club’s mission, according to Bangley, is to encourage the development of future environmental leaders through STEM-based projects that are centered on “environmental sustainability and solid stewardship.”

“We appreciate (the Nansemond River Garden Club) so much and could not have gotten this project off of the ground without their generous support,” Bangley wrote.