Lewis Cass Technical High School, Detroit, MI
Students at Cass Tech faced serious problems with roaches, mice, and rats, and they decided to do something about it when they met Larry Swain. Swain, Pesticide Certification/Integrated Pest Management (IPM) manager and the Michigan Department of Agriculture (MDA), had been looking for a school to pilot his idea for an IPM program. Inspired by Swain, the students formed “The Roach Patrol”, a student run IPM program to rid Cass Tech of unwanted pests.
“I wanted to prove that pesticides alone were not doing the job. I also wanted the kids to learn about environmental issues and about taking control….. things they could apply in life.” Swain said. “And I wanted to prove that IPM works.”
Swain trained the students in pest identification and showed them how to perform inspections of the building. Students received further technical training at a non-toxic pest control company called Praxis. Praxis is the developer of the Bio Tool Kit, a complete pest control program including training and biological controls for pests.
Six years later the IPM Team is going strong. Michael Jones, Cass Tech science teacher coordinates the Roach Patrol’s efforts but pest control at Call Tech is up to the students. For each pest problem, the Team, comprised of approximately 20 students, uses an appropriate pest management strategy from their superior bag of tricks.
“When we catch a mouse,” said student Justin Watson, “we look at how it is and can tell where it came from. Then we backtrack and, more times than not, we find a hole. A mouse can get through a hole the size of a dime. For a rat it’s the size of a quarter. We report it. We write a letter to the engineer to get good support.”
There is nothing haphazard about the students’ approach. The students keep close accounts of pest sitings, and keep maps of problem areas. They also keep track of which strategies they used where, and take the time to evaluate which strategies were most effective. With the Roach Patrol’s work, teachers have come to rely on its members to come to the rescue. Mr. Jones explains that Cass Tech’s program is not strictly about rats and roaches. “The students learn a higher order of thinking. They see the problems, put a plan together, analyze it and decide what to do based on scientific knowledge. It’s a process they can use in the real world.”
Cass Tech and the Roach Patrol received the inaugural Green Flag Level Three award for their IPM program. For more information on their integrated pest-control program visit www.greenflagschools.org.
Adapted from an article published in Safer Schools: A report by the School Pesticide Reform Coalition by Kate Webber, Program Development Coordinator, and Betsy Dance of Local Motion, Ann Arbor, MI. Found on Green Flag Schools website under Success Stories.
