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Airport's Partnership with Saul
High School Is A Thing of Beauty
Flower Show exhibit
showcases wetlands creation and restoration March 2nd thru 9th
Philadelphia - Philadelphia
International Airport (PHL) has taken its support for the Philadelphia Flower
Show to another level this year by partnering with the W.B. Saul High School
for Agricultural Sciences to create an exhibit highlighting the Airport's
environmental stewardship. The display will give visitors to the acclaimed
horticultural extravaganza at the Pennsylvania Convention Center a unique
glimpse into the fascinating habitat of the Airport's surrounding wetlands.
The Airport/Saul exhibit, Under the Tarmac, features a re-created
tidal marsh where water ebbs and flows as well as 37 species of plants and a
variety of wildlife. Visitors can get an aerial view of the exhibit from a
specially created arched walkway traversing the display. Also, visitors can
learn more about the exhibit from colorful panels with eye-catching images and
detailed information on the natural wonders that make up the wetlands.
"We're very excited about this exhibit, which is a wonderful addition to the
Flower Show," said Charles Isdell, the City's Acting Director of Aviation. "The
students and staff at Saul High School really showed their creativity in coming
up with an authentic re-creation of the wetlands. Our Exhibitions Director,
Leah Douglas, did a fabulous job with the panels and coordinating the display
with the school. We're proud of our partnership with Saul High School and our
support of the Philadelphia Flower Show."
Some three dozen students
and faculty at Saul, located in the Roxborough section of Philadelphia, worked
on the exhibit. The high school has participated in previous Flower Shows, and
this year's event proved both challenging and educational.
In teaming
up with the Airport, the Saul project workers were tasked with creating an
exhibit with a specific theme taken from the PHL Environmental Stewardship
Program. In choosing the wetlands creation and restoration, the group was
responsible for learning about the natural environment and the Airport's
projects and then designing an exhibit to educate the public about the region's
wetlands and the Airport's stewardship.
As part of the educational
experience, the Airport arranged a tour of the wetlands at the nearby John
Heinz Wildlife Refuge so the students and faculty could see first-hand one of
the creation and restoration projects as well as the plant and wildlife to
assist them in re-creating the experience.
"This was an intellectually
stimulating project that challenged the students' creative talents," said
Barbara Brown, a Saul teacher who worked on the project. "Touring an actual
wetland gave the students and staff a real-life perspective that has enriched
their learning experience. Saul High School is grateful for the Airport's
support in this year's Flower Show exhibition and its role in contributing to
our students' education."
The Airport will also take part in this
year's Lecture Series at the Flower Show. Mike McCartney, Planning and
Environmental Services Manager, will present "From the Soil and Sea to the Sky:
An Airport Ecosystem" on Tuesday, March 4th at 5:30 p.m. in Room 201-C on the
bridge between the Flower Show floor and the Grand Ballroom.
The Philadelphia Airport System is owned and operated by the City of
Philadelphia and is composed of Philadelphia International Airport and
Northeast Philadelphia Airport. The Airport System is a self-sustaining entity
that operates without the use of local tax dollars. It is one of the largest
economic engines in Pennsylvania, generating an estimated $14 billion in
spending to the regional economy and employing a workforce of nearly
34,000.
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