Earth Week 2009
Earth Week was alive with spring in the air, beautiful weather, and the students of St. Paul of the Cross making a difference in how we care for Mother Earth.
We kicked off Earth Week with an exciting Poster Contest. There were so many smart and creative entries! The lucky winners of the contest were Shannon (2nd grade) in the EGC,and Olivia (7th grade) in the UGC. Both lucky Earth Friends got a gift card to Oberweis for a yummy ice cream treat!
Teachers worked really hard to bring awareness into the classroom, from discussions with the class, to creative word problems for homework. Miss B's afternoon kindergarten class had a special workshop discussing recycling. You're never too young to Go Green!
Mrs. G's kindergarten class sang a cute song to the tune of itsy bitsy spider
Reduce, Reuse, Recycle –
words that we all know.
We have to save our planet
So we can live and grow.
We might be only children
But we will try, you’ll see
And we can save this planet –
It starts with you and me!
National Honor Society read "Green Moments," poems and prayers focusing on our Earth during the daily announcement. This is a prayer read during one of these announcements:
O God,
We thank you for this earth, our home; for the wide sky
and the blessed sun, for the ocean and streams, for the towering
hills and the whispering wind, for the trees and green grass.
We thank you for our senses, by which we hear the songs of birds
and see the splendor of fields of golden wheat,
and taste autumn's fruit, and rejoice in the feel of snow, and smell the breath of spring flowers.
Grant us a heart opened wide to all this beauty;
and save us from being so blind that we pass unseeing when even
the common thorn bush is aflame with your glory.
Amen.
On Tuesday, The Green Team asked students to walk, ride or carpool to school. Many families took part in the carpooling, and some brave souls actually walked or rode bikes that gloomy and chilly day. Later that week, the weather improved and the bike racks were full! Great job on lightening your carbon footprint.
On Wednesday, the official Earth Day, all of the students attended a mass celebrating Earth. The mass was put together by the Seventh Grade and was a beautiful and prayerful reminder of our responsibility to care for the Earth that God has entrusted us with.
We also kicked off our annual Lights for Learning Fundraiser, selling CFL light bulbs through ComEd. CFL light bulbs use 75% less energy than traditional light bulbs, last for 9,000 hours, and they pay for themselves in 7 months. What a deal! Also, SPC gets back HALF of all sales to put toward making our school more environmentally friendly and safe.
Thursday was "Waste Free Lunch" day. Many students participated in this event by creatively packing their lunches in food storage containers that can be reused. This is such a simple way to reduce the amount of trash that heads to a landfill. A lunch packed with reusable items is typically 45% less expensive and contains 89% less waste than a lunch packed with single-use items. In fact, 18,760 pounds of trash is generated from the average elementary school. Yikes! Packing a waste free lunch not only saves the earth, it saves money! Parents spend $250 annually on disposable lunch materials.
The May Packet will contain a flyer with information on how you can be waste free at SPC, with ideas on how to use what you have at home to pack a lunch with less litter, and a fundraiser for a waste free lunch kit called Kids Konserve. Let's go waste free everyday!
Thursday after school, the Home and School Association teamed up with the Park Ridge Library to present Green E, The Environmental Elvis. He sang songs with lyrics about recycling and saving the Earth set to popular Elvis Presley tunes. Oh boy, was this a show! He had everyone up and dancing by the end of his performance.
Friday was an "out of uniform" day. Students participated by wearing Earth colors: Green, Blue or Brown. Mrs. Hader's afternoon PK found a roly-poly (or armadillidiidae) in their classroom and safely delivered him back into nature. Mrs. Nader's class took advantage of the gorgeous day to fly their newly handmade kites. The kites were all green and some even sported fabulous recycling designs. Coincidence? We think not.
Saving the Earth is everyone's responsibility and the students of St. Paul of the Cross are ready for the challenge. With great spirit and effort, together we can all make a difference and make Earth Day Every Day!
