Seed Bombs Away

Fort Worth bike ride drops friendly bombs on bees and butterflies

If there is no milkweed, there will be no monarch butterfly.

Photo by Marshall Hinsley

Those who love bees and bicycling will want to sign up for the Great Seed Bombon November 14,a 15-mile fundraiser and bike ride that benefits bees, monarchs, and other pollinators at Clear Fork Food Truck Park in Fort Worth.

Riders will participate in a practice called "throw and grow." They'll toss "seed balls," containing seeds for milkweed and wildflower plants, to bloom in the spring.

Ride founder Jillian Jordan says that the goal in planting native seeds is to support "our bee and butterfly friends," as well as raise money and awareness.

The bee population has dropped from 6 million beehives in 1947 to 2.4 million today. Bees aren't the only pollinator at risk: 90 percent of the monarch butterfly population is gone, due primarily to the use of glyphosate (Roundup), an herbicide destroying the monarch habitat, which consists of milkweed and wildflowers.

If there is no milkweed, there will be no monarch. It's where they lay their eggs, and monarch larvae feed almost exclusively on milkweed.

Jordan is watching the turnout for Fort Worth, with the goal of expanding to other cities. "If the pilot ride is successful, we have plans to take this event to Austin, Houston, and other large cities along the migratory path of the monarch," she says.

The ride will follow a route along the Trinity Trail/Clear Fork natural area. It's an all-ages event, giving everyone a chance to contribute. Pre-registration is $35.50 for adults and $16.50 for kids, and $39.50 the day of the event. Participants get T-shirts and fanny packs, and there will be prizes awarded for the best bee and butterfly costumes.

If you'd like to participate but don't want to ride, you can attend a seed ball-making party on November 7 at the Botanical Research Institute of Texas (1700 University Dr.). From 11 am to 3 pm, participants will build 3,000 seed balls, made of seeds, organic compost, and clay.

And everyone can turn their lawn into a monarch-friendly habitat by curtailing the use of pesticides and going with native plants.

"With a problem this widespread, it's easy to feel powerless," Jordan says. "In testing incremental solutions that are tangible, digestible, and scalable, perhaps we can feel empowered in the face of even the biggest environmental problems."

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school news

These 17 Dallas-Fort Worth K-8 schools rank among Texas' best for 2025

Overton Park Elementary School in Fort Worth

Fort Worth Independent School District

Congratulations are in order for the Overton Park Owls.

Several Dallas-Fort Worth elementary and middle schools are at the top of the class when it comes to educating and preparing the next generation for a successful life and career, according to U.S. News & World Report's just-released list of 2025 Elementary and Middle Schools Rankings.

U.S. News ranked over 79,000 public schools on the state and district level using data from the U.S. Department of Education. Schools were analyzed based on their students' proficiencies in mathematics and reading/language arts on state assessments, and tie-breakers were decided based on student-teacher ratios.

The standout in the Fort Worth area was Overton Park Elementary — coming in just outside the top 10 at No. 12.

Texas' best elementary schools for 2025
Jesus A. Kawas Elementary in Laredo in the Texas took the top ranking for best elementary and middle school in Texas for 2025.

William B. Travis Academy/Vanguard for the Academically Talented and Gifted in Dallas ISD, ranked as the No. 2 According to U.S. News, this Dallas public school has a total enrollment of 502 students, with 94 percent of the student population scoring "at or above the proficient level" in mathematics, and 100 percent proficiency in reading. The school has a student-teacher ratio of 16:1, with 31 full-time teachers and 1 full-time school counselor.

Sudie L. Williams Talented and Gifted Academy, also in Dallas, came in at No. 6 with a total enrollment of 429 students. 89 percent of Sudie students are proficient in math, and 95 are proficient in reading, U.S. News said. Sudie L. Williams also ranked No. 5 in the statewide rankings for the best middle schools for 2025.

Carroll ISD's Robert H. Rockenbaugh Elementary in Southlake ranked No. 9. This elementary school has 531 students, 92 percent of which are proficient in both math and reading. U.S. Newssays the school's student-teacher ratio is 12:1, which is better than the district-wide student-teacher ratio. Robert H. Rockenbaugh employs 42 full-time teachers and one full-time counselor.

Overton Park Elementary was the highest ranked Fort Worth elementary school, coming in just outside the top 10 as No. 12. The school's population is made up of 542 students and 34 full-time teachers, creating a student-teacher ratio of 16:1. Overton Park students scored 91 percent proficiency in math and reading, according to U.S. News.

"Compared with the district, the school did better in math and better in reading, according to this [test score] metric," U.S. News said in the school's profile. "In Fort Worth Independent School District, 40 percent of students tested at or above the proficient level for reading, and 28 percent tested at or above that level for math."

Five additional Dallas-Fort Worth schools ranked among the top 25 best elementary schools in Texas, including:

No. 11 – Lakewood Elementary, Dallas ISD
No. 14 – Old Union Elementary, Southlake, Carroll ISD
No. 17 – School for the Talented and Gifted in Pleasant Grove, Dallas ISD
No. 21 – Carroll Elementary, Southlake, Carroll ISD
No. 24 – Bradfield Elementary, Dallas, Highland Park ISD

The best middle schools in Texas
Though the Austin campus of BASIS Texas Charter School was crowned the No. 1 middle school in Texas for 2025, five Dallas-Fort Worth middle schools dominated the top 10.

Following Dallas' William B. Travis Academy, Lawler Middle School in Frisco ISD ranked No. 3 statewide with 1,026 students, 61 full-time teachers, and two full-time school counselors. Lawler's student-teacher ratio is 17:1, and 93 percent of students are proficient in math, and 92 percent in reading. The school performed significantly better than the rest of Frisco ISD, U.S. News said.

"In Frisco Independent School District, 75 percent of students tested at or above the proficient level for reading, and 65 percent tested at or above that level for math," U.S. News said in Lawler's profile. "Lawler Middle [also] did better in math and better in reading in this metric compared with students across the state. In Texas, 51 percent of students tested at or above the proficient level for reading, and 41 percent tested at or above that level for math."

Other Dallas-Fort Worth middle schools that were ranked among the 25 best in Texas are:

No. 4 – School for the Talented & Gifted in Pleasant Grove, Dallas ISD
No. 6 – George Dawson Middle School, Southlake, Carroll ISD
No. 7 – Willow Springs Middle School, Lucas, Lovejoy ISD
No. 12 – Carroll Middle School, Southlake, Carroll ISD
No. 13 – iUniversity Prep, Grapevine-Colleyville ISD
No. 14 – Fowler Middle School, Plano, Frisco ISD
No. 16 – Henry W. Longfellow Career Exploration Academy, Dallas ISD
No. 20 – Nelson Middle School, Frisco ISD

"The 2025 Best Elementary and Middle Schools rankings offer parents a way to evaluate how schools are providing a high-quality education and preparing students for future success," said LaMont Jones, Ed.D., the managing editor for Education at U.S. News. "The data empowers families and communities to advocate for their children’s education. Research continues to indicate that how students perform academically at these early grade levels is a big factor in their success in high school and beyond."

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