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Rolling Valley Elementary School turned its lawn care over to a flock of lambs during the finale of its Earth Week activities, giving students a firsthand look at an unusual approach to sustainability.
Instead of using gas or electricity, sheep from the local company Lamb Mowers grazed on the grass outside the West Springfield school. Every grade participated in outdoor activities organized through the FCPS Get2Green initiative.
Principal Veronica Del Bagno said students had learned a day earlier about alternatives to routine practices that consume fuel or energy. The flock’s arrival then demonstrated how an unconventional method could accomplish a familiar job more sustainably.
The lambs were especially popular with students, including sixth grader and Green Team member Karen. She said she had eagerly awaited the visit and believed grazing was better for the school environment than operating conventional mowers. After feeding the animals, she described the strange but cute experience of having a lamb lick her entire hand.
Other Earth Week projects spanned the grade levels. Kindergartners planted flowers, while fourth graders constructed bee houses from recycled materials to provide places for bees to lay eggs. Sixth graders learned from an ornithologist before tracking birds.
The week capped a year of expanding conservation programs at Rolling Valley. The school maintains four gardens devoted to pollinators, flowers, vegetables and sensory experiences. It also introduced a milk carton recycling program.
Get2Green leads Jennifer Marsala and Sally Milian, both multilingual learner teachers, credited cafeteria and custodial employees with helping that program succeed. A custodian established a collection bucket where children can place empty cartons for recycling.
Marsala said the lamb visit was intended to create lasting memories, particularly for students who may never have encountered farm animals. The experience will also continue in the classroom through writing assignments and research about sheep.