Bees are the class pets for these Quebec students, thanks to their science teachers

The school year might be coming to an end, but at Knowlton Academy there is one class project just getting off the ground.

This spring, science teachers at the elementary school in Quebec's Eastern Townships set up a beehive, with students of all ages helping care for it.

"I wanted students to understand … the majority of our food has to be pollinated by bees," said Matthew Quesnelle, who goes by Mr. Q with his students.

Quesnelle and fellow science teacher Heidi Neil got started on the project last fall by applying for a grant from the Whole Kids foundation in Atlanta. The foundation works to support programs that encourage the health and well-being of students through nutrition, and they have a grant specifically aimed at helping to set up beehives at schools in the United States and Canada.

Quesnelle is also a beekeeper on his own time, a fact that Neil says has been invaluable in making the program a success.

"Matt's very organized in the way that he introduces the bees to the students," she said, pointing out that Quesnelle's calm approach means that even the junior kindergarten class at the school has been able to come see the bees without any incidents.

A hands-on experience

Seventh-grader Anton Zeitlinger Fontana said that the project means a lot to him because he has been fascinated by bees for a long time.

"Bees are quite interesting. I like them a lot. And I'm not too scared of them," Anton said.

For Isabella Funderburg, in Grade 5, the bees are kind of like the class pet she has never been able to have.

"There's so many and it's so interesting to know that they have their certain ways of life that's just in a box that we can look at," she shared, observing the busy bees through a special window installed in the side of the hive by her teachers.

LISTEN | These class pets are the bees' knees for Quebec students: 

Quebec AM11:50Learning about bees at Knowlton Academy

Students at Knowlton Academy are abuzz about a new part of their science program. A beehive installed near the school is giving students of all levels a hands-on opportunity to learn more about the pollinating insects, and play a role in caring for them. Eastern Townships reporter Gordon Lambie explains the project and the people making it work to Quebec AM host Julia Caron.

A community project

The school board was not in favour of having a beehive on the school grounds, so Quesnelle turned to the community for help.

He says it was a retired teacher from the school, Jan Ryzora, who connected the project with the nearby Cranker family. They offered up a part of their yard to serve as a home for the hives that is just a short walk away from the school.

Neil also shared that the hive boxes themselves are a bit of a community project.

The wooden boxes were put together by Camlen, a local furniture company, and then decorated by students who held a contest for the best bee-themed design.

Making the back-to-school season a little sweeter

With the school year coming to an end, it falls to Quesnelle to maintain the school hive over the summer.

But the science teacher said that there will be opportunities for returning students to come back to the hives when the school year starts up again.

He says there is a plan to hold a fundraiser including garlic from the school garden and honey collected from the hive.

For this first year, he expects to have to supplement the harvest from his own hives. But as the project goes on he said that the hive's honey production should get bigger.