CARE

Here at Woodstock we have a program called CARE. This is an acronym for Community service And Restoration of the Environment. We plan activities for students to do these things. This morning, we had a chance to help restore the environment. In an effort to slowly counteract deforestation on the hillside, we were working on some nursery beds of trees at the Hanifl Center on campus. This is our outdoor education center and we were in charge of half of the sixth grade students today. The first step was collecting seeds from the ground around the center.

This being India, we were periodically interrupted by cows from the surrounding villages. For the most part, they just sat there but every once in a while they started head butting.

After collecting the seeds, we had to get them ready for planting. These students are taking some alder seeds and getting them prepared.

From there, we went to the terraces where the beds had been prepared. In this picture, Darab is showing us how to plant the alder seeds.

Now digging around in the dirt for an hour is fun all by itself. Here at Woodstock, though, we have the added benefit of being in the mountains. Even when we're gardening, we still get fantastic views of the valley.

Overall, the kids had fun. We planted several different kids of trees and the students are now part of a long-term project that is bigger than them. These seeds will grow into seedlings that will grow into trees that will help promote returning wildlife and help keep the hillside pristine...and they got to play in the dirt.

Of course, the fruits of this labor will not be seen until most of these students have graduated, but it was still a great experience, and we were done in time for lunch.

Dave and Beth