PC students 'swarm' to learning

By Staff
Jonathan Willis
There are probably few county residents who know that we would lose about 30 percent of our food supply if there suddenly were no more bumblebees.
The third grade students at Phil Campbell Elementary School know that.
The students spent several weeks in September learning about bees while studying plants.
Bees play a vital role in pollinating plants and that's what teachers hoped their students would learn.
"We wanted them to know what all happens," said teacher Carrie James.
The students in James' class, as well as those in fellow teachers Barbara Peppers, Whitney Hutcheson and Amy Thomas' classes, all received a treat last week when a local bee expert paid a visit to the school's outdoor classroom.
Billy and Dewann Pierce, of Liberty Hill, talked to the students about bees, their hives and how they make honey.
"When he retired from Ford we bought some bee hives," said Dewann Pierce about her husband. "This is a hobby that he really enjoys."
The couple currently has nine be hives and are thrilled that they are able to share them with students in local schools.
"We really like talking to the kids about them," Pierce said, as students leaned forward to make sure they got a good view of the bees inside a glass jar being passed around.
James, who was surprised to learn that September was "National Honeybee Month," said students learn more easily when they see things firsthand rather than just hearing about them.
"We talked to them about the different kinds of bees, but they have a better understanding of what happens after they see it."