North Raleigh Today

Today's third-graders probably are not familiar with the 1972 movie "Butterflies Are Free," but a class project let them experience the film's theme.

Holly Springs teacher Katie Thompson and her third-grade students at Pine Springs Preparatory Academy helped turn Wake County into a monarch butterfly-friendly place, according to WRAL. Monarchs are vital to supporting the human food supply.

In conjunction with teaching her students about the importance of pollination, Thompson urged them to write to mayors across the county, asking the politicians to sign on for the National Wildlife Federation's (NWF) Mayors' Monarch Pledge. 

The city leaders responded and promised to assist with creating habitats for monarchs and other pollinators.

Thompson's students were recently honored for getting officials from all Wake County cities and towns to sign the pledge, WRAL reported.

"It's so important for you to know that you can make a change," Knightdale Mayor Jessica Day said to the students. "Your voice and what you decide to say can make a difference. You made this happen … This just shows you as a small example what you can do when you stand up for what you believe in and ask for it."

Fuquay-Varina Mayor Blake Massengill agreed.

"Those letters made a difference," he said. "They were beautiful letters and they were very impressive. Y'all should be very proud of yourselves for what you're doing here today."

At the culmination of the lesson, the students released a slew of monarch butterflies into the skies of Wake County.

"Take pride — you've accomplished something much bigger than those letters," North Carolina NWF representative Fred Harris told the students. "You've provided those butterflies and other pollinators a place to live ... that's a huge accomplishment."