A group of Denton County volunteers will lead by example to help strengthen horticultural and environmental education in local schools.

Members of the Denton County Master Gardeners and the Elm Fork Chapter of Texas Master Naturalist have teamed up with 4-H and the Texas AgriLife Extension Service to launch a program called Science With Attitude, also known as SWAt.

DRC/Barron Ludlum

Ryan Eberle, a third-grade teacher at Wilson Elementary School, pours old hamster bedding on a garden bed being composted in layers last week. Local teachers participated in Science With Attitude, a three-day program about horticulture and environmental education.

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The goal of the program is to provide teachers and parents with challenging science lessons that emphasize the environment, said Janet Laminack, a county extension agent specializing in horticulture.

“We want to make it a part of the curriculum,” Laminack said. “We want to reach the kids.”

Recently, program volunteers conducted a series of classes on gardening basics, and the students were teachers from the Denton school district. The classes followed the Junior Master Gardener curriculum and offered information on plant growth and development, insects and diseases, raised planting beds and landscape horticulture, including native plants.

Volunteers also offered teachers tips on attracting butterflies and planting various types of theme gardens, fun projects that can be used to build student interest.

Two of the volunteers spearheading the Science With Attitude program, Cheryl Kesterson and Jenny Estes, are both retired Denton elementary teachers, and they know how valuable such tips can be.

“A lot of teachers have no experience at gardening,” said Kesterson, a Master Naturalist.

Estes, a Master Gardener, agreed, adding that volunteers involved in the effort are committed to sharing environmental information with teachers so they can instill an appreciation for nature in their students.

“We’re offering them garden advisers,” she said. “It’s good to share knowledge. We’re excited because it’s the first time to band our organizations.”

Volunteers hope to encourage teachers and parents to create sustainable outdoor learning centers where environmental lessons can continue to be shared as the program expands, Laminack said. Future projects will include off-site learning and field trips, competitions and other special events.

The classes on garden basics will be offered again in August, and teachers will be given more advanced lessons in future training sessions, Kesterson said.

She added that empowering teachers is the first step in instilling a love of nature in students, and the gardens should ultimately belong to the children.

“If there’s no ownership, there’s no learning,” she said.

The need to strengthen environmental education is more important now, Kesterson said, because society is separating more and more people from agricultural pursuits.

“I think this may be the first generation of kids that’s completely removed from the land,” she said. “Many have no contact with the land. It’s alarming.”

Contributors to the Science With Attitude program include the Denton school district, Denton County Master Gardener Association, Elm Fork Chapter of Texas Master Naturalist, Wal-Mart and D&L Farm and Home, Laminack said. Organizers are hoping the list will grow as the program continues to develop and reach a wider range of age groups.

“We’re excited because we expect the program to expand,” Laminack said. “It affects so many people in a positive way.”

For more information, contact Laminack at jelaminack@ag.tamu.edu or 940-349-2883.

LES COCKRELL can be reached at 940-566-6887. His e-mail address is lcockrell@dentonrc.com .