Bolingbrook High School Receives $1,000 Grant for Prairie Restoration

Bolingbrook High School has been awarded a $1,000 Schoolyard Habitat Action Grant from the Department of Natural Resources, Valley View School District announced Tuesday.

The grant will be used for the restoration of the prairie located on BHS property along Lily Cache north of the football stadium, according to BHS’ Pat Gennardo, who is heading up the project that will include an outdoor lab for staff and students.

Initially launched as a graduate school project, the effort has grown into a community project with the Bolingbrook Park District and students working side-by-side to clear the property of invasive species to make room for plants native to Illinois prairies.

“We also want to attract more native wildlife and put a path through the area,” Gennardo said in a news release. “This is a multi-year project, as we have 12 acres to restore and we are working to expand usage of this valuable resource in all areas of the curriculum, not just science. We have this great natural resource and our students’ educations and lives can be enhanced with exposure to this area.”

More than 1,000 students have already been outside learning in the prairie area.

A burn was performed last fall. Science Club members collected native seeds and are drying them over the winter, the district said. In the spring, the park district and the school community will continue to clear and prepare the area for seeding.

“This project fosters student spirit and ownership of BHS, and raises awareness for helping the earth through using the environment that surrounds us at BHS,” Gennardo said. “We foresee this as an opportunity for leadership projects for our students and a resource for all Valley View schools.”