When Amazon’s botanists wanted to test out educational lessons, who better to give them feedback than the students from Lake Washington School District’s Environmental and Adventure School (EAS)? This Kirkland middle school uses the environment as a lens to teach a comprehensive, thematic curriculum.

Students and teachers made two visits to the Amazon greenhouse in Woodinville. Botanists used Amazon’s growing collection of exotic tropical plants to teach lessons to the kids. EAS students and teachers provided feedback after each tour.

During the second visit, students also planted a living wall panel and received Venus Flytrap plants to raise at home. At the time, teacher John Hamilton mentioned that EAS has its own greenhouse and noted they were hoping to repair and upgrade it.

The exchanges were so successful that the students and teachers were invited to the dedication of The Spheres in Seattle. These glass domes will serve as a haven of nature on the Amazon headquarters campus in downtown Seattle.

During the dedication ceremony, the students were given the honor of planting The Sphere’s first specimen, a large Australian tree fern.

At the ceremony, Ron Gagliardo, Amazon’s senior manager of horticultural services, announced a donation of $10,000 for the EAS greenhouse repairs and to support their native plant restoration program.

This is taken from a Lake Washington School District news release.