New science project in our school

For the international year of biodiversity and at the occasion of the high school programs' reforms, the general inspection of life and earth  science has developped an exploration project and genetic diversity at school.

In our school, there is such a science project that we are going to present you. The science section of our school with their Biology teacher Mrs Duquesnay has decided to extract yams' genome  in order to plant the tastiest yam. This project is also aiming at finding the most resistant species. They want to find a way to use less pesticide in order to protect the environment. This project aims at having results more quickly and also having bigger vegetables. That research can be very helpful at many levels especially for the economy of the region. It also allows to get the students involved in environmental issues. We are the only school in Martinique dealing with this type of project and we are very proud of it.

We will give you more details about it in the future.

Monday February 22nd,2016

The yam genome project has started with the creation of a traditional creole garden inside our school next to the entrance.

What is a creole garden exactly?

It's a small garden with many different species of fruit, vegetables and herbs every family has near the house.

Firstly, everything began with a "laso tè", a creole expression which means "à l'assaut de la terre"or "labour" in French : several students ploughed the land together in a row and moved forward to the rythm of traditional music and songs (bèlè) performed by other students with drums and sticks called 'ti bwa' in creole.

Then they planted okra (or gumbo), green beans, turnips, tomatoes, parsley, chives, thyme, lettuce, small green peppers, basil, rosemary, and they need small labels to inform the visitors who will walk through the alleys.

Lettuce

Green peas

The second harvest of green peas at school

Okra

Feb. 26th, 2016

Our class decided to propose the English translation, the scientific name for each plant and sometimes a definition or a rebus to help guess the right name:

- gombo : okra - Abelmoshus esulentus
- haricot vert : green bean - Phaseolus vulgaris
- navet : turnips - Brasica rapa
- tomate : tomato - Solanum   lycopersycum  -  I'm red and I'm considered as a vegetable and also as a fruit. (Linsay)
- persil : parsley - Petroselinum crispum  -  I'm a spice and I'm essential in West Indian meals. Who am I?  (Anne- Sophie)
- oignon pays : chive - Allium schoenoprasum
- petit thym : thyme - Thymus vulgaris
- laitue : lettuce - Lactuca - I'm  green and I have many leaves. Who am I ?  
                 Rebus to draw in order to find French word (milk - slay)(Kelydiane)
- Piment végétarien : small green pepper - Capsicum
- basilic : basil - Ocinum basilicum
- romarin : rosemary - Rosemarinus officinalis

A lime-tree which has been there long before

Linsay, Kélidiane, Anne-Sophie, 1ère L, LVA