TYLER, Texas — There’s a new buzz happening at Tyler ISD.
These bees are small but they pack a mean sting. Students at Tyler Legacy head out to the bee farm across from the school every week to check up on these bees. For now, this is just a school club, but it could soon be an accredited class.
"The students get hands on. They can see how bees affect the environment and how the environment affects the bees," said Whitney Cleghorn, ag science teacher at Tyler Legacy High School.
And the students are buzzing all about it. The program has been around for a couple years and Ozarka has funded most of the project with the equipment including the suits.
Rebecca Katz was one of the first students to join.
"So I have always liked environmental stuff and during that time I was wondering what I could do more for the environment," Katz said.
Some students are fans, while others are afraid to get stung, even though the club members wear protective suits, Cleghorn said.
"Most of the bees are pretty nice and if they’re not you can learn how to handle them and you learn what actually changes their behavior and it’s the queen," Katz said.
And for the most part these bees were well behaved. Cleghorn said she hopes to see this program expand into something bigger for these students.
"If we could get a future class, they could end up getting a certification in bee keeping," Cleghorn said.
Soon this beekeeping class could be an accredited class ready for all these busy bees in the school.
A couple weeks ago, the student beekeepers harvested 36 pounds of honey that the students got to take home.