Every Thursday after school, high school members of SAVE (Students Against Violation of the Environment) and GIN (Global Issues Network) at the Singapore American School (SAS) make their way to the school’s tree nursery, a haven for endangered tree species that these students are charged with protecting. The nursery has been in the making for the last three years, to add new species to the school’s rainforest patch.
With assistance from the Singapore Botanical Gardens, the nursery and rainforest have helped native plants such as Shorea, Hopea, and Dipterocarps thrive. As a part of the Nursery/Rainforest committee in SAVE and GIN, students have had the opportunity to learn more about Singaporean flora in a hands-on way. They mix the correct sand-soil ratios for transplant into larger pots, measure plant heights, and transplant them into the school’s rainforest when the saplings are grown enough. Science classes in the elementary and middle schools take trips to explore and document its biodiversity. The nursery is a place of and for education, and SAS student are proud of the efforts they’ve been taking to preserve nature.
By Tanvi Dutta Gupta, SAS 12th grader (JC2).
