Monarch Sister Schools Program

The Monarch Sister Schools Program (MSSP) assists students and teachers in US in planting habitat gardens for Monarch butterflies and other pollinators and provides students valuable hands-on STEAM learning experiences that connect them with Nature. Students at 'Sister Schools' in Mexico raise seedlings and plant trees to reforest areas of the Monarchs's over-wintering habitat in Central Mexico. Students in both countries participate in a valuable cultural exchange while helping to prevent the beautiful monarch from becoming extinct. Monarchs are currently in decline by over 90%. WHY? Pollinators, vital to much of our food supply, are in decline due to habitat loss. The Monarch Butterfly, our pollinator poster child, has declined by over 90%. MSSP works with schools in three student action areas: Habitat Restoration, Curriculum, and Cultural Exchange. - Habitat Restoration. Students plant Pollinator Gardens (over 40 in DC, MD & VA) to support the Monarch’s life cycle and provide nectar to fuel their migration, including the one garden planted with First Lady Michelle Obama and Congressional Spouses in DC. In Mexico, students at our sister schools near the renown Monarch Biosphere Reserve, where Monarchs overwinter (November – March), operate nurseries to produce the ‘baby trees’ needed to reforest damaged areas of the Reserve. To date, close to 50 acres of forest have been restored by students. - Curriculum. In the U.S. and Mexico, a core feature is hands-on learning activities, aligned with the Next Generation Science Standards and designed to enrich STEAM programs with student projects and workshops. - Cultural Exchange. We facilitate a dynamic cultural exchange between American and Mexican students via Zoom, opening new horizons for them and a veritable “flight of imagination” across borders and cultures.