Bee the Change

by James Preller

  Lizzy leaned back on her hands. “The important question I asked was what he’d do if he wanted to help them,” she said.

  Kym laughed. “Yeah, and he had no idea!”

  “I bet that’s true for most people,” Lizzy said. “I think that’s what Miss Zips was trying to tell us. We have to show people what they can do. We need them to participate.”

  Kym nodded. “Okay, first we get them to appreciate honeybees. Then we show them how they can help. Is that it?”

  “Exactamundo,” Lizzy said. “Let’s activate!”

  Again the girls lapsed into a thoughtful silence. A cardinal landed near the garden. Kym suddenly bolted into an upright position. She clapped her hands. “I’ve got it! I just figured it out, Lizzy—I know how we can get kids to help—and it’s a beautiful idea.”

  * * *

  Back inside the library, the boys were busy brainstorming. They had written out fun facts about bees on separate pieces of paper. But they weren’t satisfied.

  “Something’s missing.” Deon frowned. “It’s just, I don’t know, boring. Facts aren’t enough.”

  “You remember when we did persuasive writing in class?” Connor said. “Miss Zips told us we needed to grab people’s attention. We can’t be dull. Nobody will pay attention.”

  “What if we had a snazzy slogan?” Deon said. He snapped his fingers. “I’ve got it!” Deon grabbed a marker and wrote these words in big, bold letters:

  BEE THE CHANGE!

  Deon colored the letters in yellow and black stripes.

  “Sweet, I like it,” Connor said.

  “HEY GUYS! I HAVE AN IDEA TOO!” Otis Smick said.

  Connor and Deon turned to Otis, surprised. As far as they could tell, Otis Smick had not had an idea for the entire school year. It was already April.

  “Okaaay?” Deon said.

  “WE SHOULD MAKE A GIGANTIC HONEYBEE!”

  Deon raised an eyebrow. “Hmmmm. That’s actually not terrible, Otis.”

  “WE’LL USE WIRE AND PAPIER-MCHÉ! IT WILL BE BIGGER THAN THE ENTIRE SCHOOL! WE’LL FILL IT WITH BALLOONS AND IT WILL FLOAT LIKE A HUNDRED-THOUSAND FEET IN THE AIR!” Otis continued.

  “Easy, Otis,” Connor said. “You have a good idea there. Let’s not go crazy.”

  “Maybe a bee mobile?” Deon suggested. “Like, I don’t know, colorful bees hanging from the ceiling in the school lobby.”

  The boys sat in silence, all three with a chin resting on their hands, imagining the scene: Bees and bee facts filling the school entranceway. And a big banner that read BEE THE CHANGE.

  Otis Smick beamed with pure joy.

  “AWESOMESAUCE!” he said.

  — CHAPTER 9 —

  Busy and Buzzing

  Over the next two weeks, the Big Idea Gang was as busy as—you guessed it—bees. There was so much to be done. Fortunately, once they got the ball rolling, a lot of folks helped out.

  “That’s the thing with good ideas,” Miss Zips said. “They’re contagious.”

  “Like the flu,” Connor said.

  He sneezed.

  “Yes,” Miss Zips said, “like the flu.” She reached for the Purell wipes.

  * * *

  For starters, Kym had to call Ozzie to ask if he’d be willing to visit the school.

  Ozzie loved her big idea.

  “Can I bring my bees?” Ozzie asked.

  Kym wasn’t so sure about that.

  “What about Lulubelle?” he wondered, thinking of his favorite chicken.

  “Possibly,” Kym replied.

  “I’ll do a PowerPoint,” Ozzie decided. “Thanks for asking. It’ll be a blast!”

  “Thank you, Ozzie. Remember, we don’t have approval yet,” Kym cautioned. “We just wanted to check to see if you were willing to come.”

  “Say the word and I’ll be there, and I’ll bring Lulubelle!” the beekeeper said. And once again he cackled, for no reason other than he was a man who liked the sound of his own laughter.

  Next, Kym and Lizzy met with Principal Tuxbury. He thought having a beekeeper visit the school was a terrific idea. “I’m all for it!” he exclaimed. “Get me his number and I’ll call Mr. Ozzie Johnson today. We need to make this official.”

  * * *

  Connor and Deon (and, yes, Otis too) took charge of decorating the front lobby. They researched and neatly wrote out seventeen fascinating facts about honeybees. Even the art teacher, Mrs. O’Keefe, got into it. She helped the younger students make toilet-paper-roll honeybees. They taped yellow construction paper around toilet paper rolls, cut out black stripes, and glued on googly eyes and wings. Hanging from each bee was a fun fact.

  “Pretty darn cute,” Principal Tuxbury observed. “Educational, too!”

  * * *

  Otis was in charge of hanging the giant banner in the lobby. (Maybe that wasn’t the best idea.)

  “Careful up there, Otis,” Principal Tuxbury said. He pulled nervously on his lower lip. “I’m not entirely comfortable with you standing on that wobbly table.”

  Fortunately the school custodian, Janet, lent Otis a helping hand.

  “Our visiting beekeeper, Mr. Johnson, will be very pleased with our welcome when he arrives tomorrow. Just be careful not to break anything.”

  * * *

  Finally, it was time to enact Kym’s beautiful big idea.

  Miss Zips listened intently. “You’ll have to speak with Nurse Baez, she’s the green thumb around here.”

  “Green thumb?” Kym repeated.

  “Ms. Baez loves gardening,” Miss Zips said. “She’s the one who started our school garden several years back. In fact, she does most of the work by herself. I’m sure she’d love to get some help to make it bigger and better.”

  — CHAPTER 10 —

  Bee Friendly

  Ms. Yolanda Baez was an energetic, lively woman who had been school nurse for many years. She was a fitness buff and an avid runner—there was even a framed photo on the office wall of her crossing the finish line at the Boston Marathon. She looked tired, but triumphant. Her greatest passion was nature. Ms. Baez enjoyed hiking, kayaking, biking, swimming, anything that brought her outdoors.

  Years ago she took it upon herself to create a garden behind the school. The PTA supported her efforts with a small donation, but it was Ms. Baez who provided the muscle. It was a small garden, but a happy sight at Clay Elementary. She grew an assortment of herbs and vegetables—kale and carrots, cucumbers and tomatoes, that sort of thing. Plants that could be eaten. No flowers.

  Kym entered the nurse’s office.

  Ms. Baez looked up through a pair of fashionably oversize round glasses. Banana earrings dangled from her perfect ears.

  There was a boy lying face-up on a cot. He had a cool towel over his eyes and forehead. Kym knew it was Milo Pitts, who had been complaining earlier in the day of a bellyache. Kym figured he was faking it. That was how Milo rolled. He liked attention.

  “Are you feeling unwell?” Ms. Baez asked Kym.

  “No, I’m fine,” Kym said. “I wanted to . . . um.” She faltered, not sure of the words. Ms. Baez’s warm smile gave her courage.

  Ms. Baez gestured to a low stool. “Have a seat, please.”

  Kym sat.

  Milo groaned.

  Ms. Baez glanced in his direction. The flicker of a frown crossed her face.

  “I wanted to talk to you about your garden,” Kym said, gathering her courage.

  “Oh, it’s not my garden,” Ms. Baez said. “It’s the school’s. It’s yours, actually.”

  Kym was surprised. “Mine?”

  “I’m just the gardener,” Ms. Baez said. She scrunched her nose and winked. “I work cheap.”

  Kym laughed. She told Ms. Baez about the honeybees. “Honeybees are super important,” Kym said. Ms. Baez listened patiently while Kym explained that without plants that produced nectar and pollen, bees wouldn’t have food to live. “And without bees visiting the flowers to collect nectar, many plants wouldn’t be able to r
eproduce.”

  “Yes, certainly,” Ms. Baez said. “I’m aware of the importance of bees. It’s a partnership.”

  “Yes!” Kym said, brightening. “A partnership between plants and bees that helps people. It gives us healthy food to eat. Like almonds, raspberries, watermelons, blueberries, and so much more.”

  “Bees have had a tough time lately,” Ms. Baez said.

  “You know about that?” Kym asked.

  Ms. Baez smiled. “I try to keep up.”

  Kym told Ms. Baez her idea for a bee-friendly garden.

  “Now I feel silly,” Ms. Baez confessed. “I’ve planted that garden for years, but I never once looked at it from the point of view of a honeybee. Thank you, Kym. Your idea for the garden is wonderful.”

  “Do you think it’s too late in the season?” Kym asked. “I’m not a”—she paused, trying to remember the words—“green thumb.”

  Ms. Baez glanced out the window. It had rained earlier that day, but now the sun fought through the clouds. The grass glistened. “No,” the nurse said. “I think we’ll be okay, if we plant soon. Are you going to help me?”

  “Of course!” Kym said. “Not just me. My friends, too. I know lots of people who’ll help.”

  Ms. Baez checked her calendar, thumbing through her phone. “How about . . . hmmm . . . not this Saturday . . . but the one after that?”

  “Perfect timing,” Kym replied. “That’s the weekend after Mr. Johnson visits the school. He can even announce our plans for the garden at the end of his presentation.”

  “Good thinking.” Ms. Baez grinned. “Everyone will be inspired! We’ll get more volunteers that way.”

  And in that moment it felt to Kym as if her heart had suddenly, unexpectedly opened like the petals of a flower.

  — CHAPTER 11 —

  Seeds, Please

  Kym and Lizzy stared at the rack of flower seeds at the hardware store. “It’s a little intimidating,” Kym said. “So many choices.”

  “I made a list,” Lizzy said, pulling a ragged piece of paper from her pocket. “We know that bees are attracted to flowers with bright colors, especially purple and yellow.”

  Kym reached for a package of sunflowers. “Is one pack enough?”

  “Ooooh, I love sunflowers! They grow so tall. Imagine an entire garden of sunflowers! It would make the bees so happy!” Lizzy reached for a second package.

  “What else is on the list?” Kym asked.

  Lizzy read the names. “Let’s see, hollyhock, buttercup, snowdrop, zinnia . . .”

  “You guys ready?” Connor appeared at their side.

  “Where were you?” Lizzy asked.

  “Dad and I were looking at power tools. It was pretty cool,” he said. “I wanted a power saw, but Dad said no.”

  “Let’s go,” Kym said. “We don’t want to be late.”

  * * *

  A small crowd of students, and several teachers, met at the garden behind the school. Ozzie’s visit had been a big success. He inspired the entire school. Kids were getting excited about helping the bees. Many volunteers brought their own small shovels and rakes. Some had gloves. They all looked eager to work. Even Miss Zips. Not bad for a drizzly Saturday.

  “My goodness,” Ms. Baez said. She whistled under her Clay Elementary Dragons baseball hat. “Thanks, everyone. I never got this much interest in the garden before.”

  “You know what they say. Many hands make light work,” said Principal Tuxbury.

  “What’s that mean?” Deon asked.

  “It means if we all work together—” the principal began.

  “—then the job gets easier!” Ms. Baez said. “Let’s start planting.”

  After a while, Deon leaned back on his heels. He looked across the field. “I wish Bee Girl was here to see this,” he lamented. “She would have been proud.”

  “Right,” Connor agreed.

  “Do you think it’s enough?” Kym wondered. “Planting flowers?”

  Miss Zips stood up. She rubbed her nose with the back of her gardening glove. “I don’t think we can ever do enough,” she said. “But I believe we’re making a difference.”

  “A small one,” Kym said.

  “You have to start somewhere. But it doesn’t have to end here,” Miss Zips said.

  “That’s right,” Lizzy chimed in. “This is just the bee-ginning.”

  “You gotta bee-lieve!” Connor exclaimed.

  “Corny,” Kym said with a laugh.

  “Yo, look,” Deon said. He pointed at a bee that hovered, for a moment, over a nearby yellow dandelion.

  He turned to Connor. “Don’t worry, Con. Just stay nice and quiet, and that bee won’t bother us.”

  “I know that,” Connor said.

  But Connor kept an eye on that bee all the while.

  Until it flew away. Bee-cause, after all, that bee had an important job to do.

  Did You Know?

  AMAZING,

  BEE-AUTIFUL

  BEE FACTS

  Brought to you by . . . Connor and Deon!

  Honey is the only food made by insects that we can eat!

  Male honeybees are called drones.

  Female honeybees are called workers—and they are the only ones with stingers!

  A honeybee dies after it stings, so it won’t sting unless it feels threatened.

  What’s the buzz? A honeybee’s wings beat more than 230 times per second. That’s what makes the buzzy bee buzz!

  Each hive has one queen, and she has one job—to lay about 2,000 eggs a day!

  In parts of China, there are so few bees left that people pollinate fruit trees by hand! Boooooring!

  Some people think dandelions are just weeds, but the flowers are good for bees! Let ’em grow!

  Bees can’t see the color red! They are most attracted to yellow, blue, purple, and white flowers.

  Honeybees produce wax from their abdomen. Humans use this wax to make all sorts of stuff—candles, cosmetics, even surfboard wax.

  One honeybee makes only one-twelfth of a teaspoon of honey in her life.

  A honeybee flies about 15 miles per hour. Zoom!

  In 1851, some dude named Lorenzo Langstroth designed the modern beehive that beekeepers still use today!

  Bees were around during the time of dinosaurs!

  Next time you eat an apple or see a flower, thank a bee!

  AND LASTLY . . .

  THIS IS NOT A FACT, BUT . . .

  Bees are the superheroes of the insect world!

  Miss Zips’s “Wow Me” Tips

  So you want to make a difference? That’s great! There are so many ways that you can make a difference in your school, your community, and even the world! But making things better means making changes, and you’ll need to convince people that those changes are worth making.

  What’s the big idea?

  Presenting an argument is not about being the loudest, or the funniest, or even the smartest. As I tell my students all the time, it’s about making a claim and supporting that claim with evidence.

  What do you need to convince your audience of? A claim often starts with a big idea. An idea is “big” if it is something you feel excited or passionate about. If you don’t feel strongly, how can you convince anyone else to agree with you?

  Kym had the big idea for a bee-friendly garden at Clay Elementary. To turn that idea into a claim, the BIG needed to be specific, direct, and make one main point: honeybees are essential to our environment and Clay Elementary should do something to help them. There is no question about what they are arguing!

  Now what? Support that claim!

  Supporting your claim means trying to prove it. Think about it this way: if you simply made a claim and stopped there, your audience would be left wondering, WHY? So you have to answer that question for them. You have to give your audience reasons to be persuaded, and back those reasons up with evidence such as facts and details.

  It’s always good to start by asking yourself some questions. Fo
r example:

  Why are honeybees important?

  Why should we care that the honeybees are disappearing?

  What actions can the BIG take to teach others about honeybees?

  What do they want the other students to do about the disappearing bees?

  What are possible obstacles to a bee-friendly garden, and how can I argue against them?

  Being able to answer these kinds of questions will give you the reasons for your argument and help you come up with the facts and details you need to support your claim.

  Let’s look at Kym’s argument. What support does she offer to convince Clay Elementary to help save the honeybees?

  REASON: Bees are an important part of the food chain, helping fruits and vegetables grow.

  EVIDENCE: Without bees acting as pollinators, many plants would die.

  REASON: Bees need our help to survive.

  EVIDENCE: Scientists have observed the mysterious disappearance of bees called colony collapse disorder.

  REASON: A bee-friendly garden is an easy way for the students at Clay Elementary to take a first step toward helping the bees.

  EVIDENCE: The school already has a small garden that the students can expand, and Kym and Lizzy can pick out bee-friendly flowers for volunteers to plant and take care of.