It might not have been obvious to everyone around him, but Nkingi Jones was ready for the bees. Under tall, sheltering trees on Penn State’s University Park campus, he and the other youngsters took part in a week-long, intensive entomology summer camp. As they received instruction on the care and handling of bees from entomologist Maryann Frazier, Jones’ apparent ease in donning a beekeeper’s veil and other protective gear to handle the swarm was reassuring to the other young campers. Instead of nervous bravado or standard-issue teen nonchalance, he shared insightful questions and calm conversation with everyone from supervising entomologists to uncertain adolescents. His preparation and confidence were paying dividends, and the group was only too happy to collect on them.

Jones’ self-assuredness was surprising and, to the casual observer, probably unwarranted. For most kids like Nkingi—a smallish eighth-grader-to-be at Shaw Middle School in inner-city Philadelphia—apiary experiences are likely limited to rudimentary biology classes or painful neighborhood encounters, and opportunities to lead a group and be a role model are few and far between. And that would have been the case for Nkingi, had it not been for Nicole Webster and the Pennsylvania Integrated Pest Management (IPM) program.

Administered by Webster, an assistant professor of agricultural and extension education, and IPM program outreach coordinator Michelle Niedermeier, the Shaw School’s “Pest Patrol” service-learning project is teaching sixth-, seventh-, and eighth-grade students about the benefits of using integrated pest management techniques in their school to control roaches and mice and to address other environmental issues. By using surveys, audio-visual displays, newsletters at health fairs, and community outreach events, students reach out into their neighborhoods to share knowledge and lead by example, becoming educators and peer role models in the process.