FACS 5th Annual Butterfly Release
- mlanda06
- 34 minutes ago
- 2 min read
On Friday, April 11, 2025, the FACS Living Classroom buzzed with excitement—literally—as students in PreK through 12th grade gathered for the annual Butterfly (+ Friends) Release. This much-anticipated event marked the culmination of a multi-week STEAM unit, where students explored life science, ecosystems, and the incredible role that insects play in our environment.
Led by High School Science teacher and event organizer Megan Piker, the day featured the release of butterflies, ants, and earthworms into the outdoor learning spaces of our Living Classroom. Each insect had a purpose and a lesson to teach.
Butterflies were released to help pollinate flowers and control pests, making them essential contributors to plant health. Ants, often underestimated, play a vital role in aerating soil and cleaning up decomposing matter, creating healthier conditions for plants and other organisms. Earthworms wriggled their way into the composting area, where they’ll play a key role in vermicomposting, transforming food scraps into nutrient-rich compost that will enrich our soil and support garden growth.
A special shoutout goes to three of our secondary students—Hayden Bennett, Nicholas Monteleone, and Liz Izaguirre—who truly knocked it out of the park. These student leaders helped guide our younger Crusaders in releasing their critters. Hayden, Nicholas, and Liz shared fascinating facts about butterflies, worms, and ants, showing both knowledge and leadership as they taught their peers about the insects’ unique roles in our ecosystem.
These students also took time to explain how even the smallest creatures have a big part to play in maintaining balance in the environment, especially within the thriving ecosystem of our very own FACS Living Classroom. Their guidance helped make the experience even more impactful for the younger students, connecting classroom learning with real-world application in a fun and meaningful way.
More About STEAM at FACS
At First Assembly Christian School, we believe in providing students with a well-rounded education that combines academic excellence with a strong spiritual foundation. That's why we offer a STEAM curriculum that integrates science, technology, engineering, art, and math with biblical principles and values. Our STEAM course instruction is designed to engage students in hands-on, project-based learning that promotes critical thinking, problem-solving, and creativity. From coding and robotics to graphic design and entrepreneurship which takes place in the FACS SmartLab, a dedicated indoor learning space, to environmental science and biology/ecosystems that comes to life in the Outdoor Living Classroom, our STEAM program equips students with the skills and knowledge they need to succeed in today's rapidly changing world while fostering a deep love for God and a commitment to serving others.
The FACS Outdoor Living Classroom includes STEAM course instruction involving environmental and natural sciences. Aspects of the outdoor space includes: Natural butterfly and pollinating bee habitats, seating areas for course instruction, raised garden beds, composting, nature walking trail and art mural.
