09/02/2026
🌱 Growing a Habitat. Inspiring the Next Generation. 🦋
Thank you to Mr. Rittner of SPFHS for sharing this amazing EEF testimonial about the grant he received during the 2025–26 school year to establish a native pollinator habitat supporting monarch butterflies.
With the grant, students planted common milkw**d, orange butterfly w**d, and a variety of saplings to provide food, habitat, and shelter for monarchs and other important pollinators. The project also included a wonderful planting event that gave students the opportunity to get their hands in the soil and take an active role in creating a habitat right on their school grounds.
And the work doesn’t stop there! Now that the habitat has been established, the grant he received for 2026-27 will help bring Monarchs in the Classroom to SPFHS, giving students the opportunity to raise and release monarch butterflies while learning firsthand about conservation and the monarch life cycle.
As Mr. Rittner shared:
“The EEF has provided so many opportunities to engage with my students in authentic and meaningful ways. The grants we have received have opened doors for students to participate in a myriad of critical conservation initiatives, giving them a sense of autonomy in tackling major environmental issues and helping to cultivate the next generation of environmental stewards.”
This is exactly why EEF grants and your support matter! They turn innovative ideas into hands on learning experiences that inspire students, empower them to make a difference, and help cultivate the next generation of environmental stewards
