(Field Notes—monthly newsletter of St. Martin’s-in-the-Field School; published in the April 2014 issue)
St. Martin’s Students Celebrate Earth Day
By Cynthia Barry, Librarian and Communications Director
“What excites you about nature?” asked 2nd-grade teacher Ellen Stanton of her class. The answers she received reflected the young students’ knowledge and observation of the world. Alix wants to one day visit Australia’s Great Barrier Reef, Noah and Trevor want to go scuba diving and see the coral reefs and fish, Savannah enjoys looking at the clouds and how they make shapes. As Earth Day is celebrated this Saturday, we can all ask ourselves: what excites us about nature?
“At St. Martin’s,” Mrs. Stanton says, “Earth Day is more than one 24-hour period. We are celebrating nature and our place in it all this month. Environmental stewardship is part of our school’s approach to education. Our children should be aware of the need to protect the earth because they will be living with the ramifications.”
Because this is also National Poetry Month, Mrs. Stanton’s students are writing nature poems (which they may copy onto their seed packets). Among the natural things they see, hear, smell, and think about are: the symmetry of butterfly wings (Savannah); the relaxing sound of waves (Noah); dolphins gliding through the ocean (Alix); trees, which give homes to both humans and birds (Trevor).
Our St. Martin’s students, all through the grades, are immersed in nature study and outdoor experience throughout the school year, but activities and awareness culminate in and are renewed with Earth Day. A number of students will be participating in the 11th annual Severna Park Earth Day Celebration this Saturday at the Severna Park Middle School. St. Martin’s Episcopal School will have a booth, and our students, families, and teachers will be hosting, among other activities, a seed-planting craft.
Earth Day began in 1970, the brainchild of Wisconsin senator Gaylord Nelson, with the purpose of increasing public awareness of the environment. Today, Earth Day is celebrated in 170 nations around the world and encompasses energy conservation, clean energy solutions, and climate change awareness.
This year’s festival at Severna Park Middle School will feature tree-planting, bicycle safety, Eco-Goats (which trim your lawn for you!), and oyster recovery. If you work up an appetite, check out the grill work of St. Martin’s-in-the-Field Episcopal Church Grill Men. Celebrating Earth Day in our communities gives us the chance, as Ghandi said, to “be the change we wish to see in the world.”
St. Martin’s Students Celebrate Earth Day
By Cynthia Barry, Librarian and Communications Director
“What excites you about nature?” asked 2nd-grade teacher Ellen Stanton of her class. The answers she received reflected the young students’ knowledge and observation of the world. Alix wants to one day visit Australia’s Great Barrier Reef, Noah and Trevor want to go scuba diving and see the coral reefs and fish, Savannah enjoys looking at the clouds and how they make shapes. As Earth Day is celebrated this Saturday, we can all ask ourselves: what excites us about nature?
“At St. Martin’s,” Mrs. Stanton says, “Earth Day is more than one 24-hour period. We are celebrating nature and our place in it all this month. Environmental stewardship is part of our school’s approach to education. Our children should be aware of the need to protect the earth because they will be living with the ramifications.”
Because this is also National Poetry Month, Mrs. Stanton’s students are writing nature poems (which they may copy onto their seed packets). Among the natural things they see, hear, smell, and think about are: the symmetry of butterfly wings (Savannah); the relaxing sound of waves (Noah); dolphins gliding through the ocean (Alix); trees, which give homes to both humans and birds (Trevor).
Our St. Martin’s students, all through the grades, are immersed in nature study and outdoor experience throughout the school year, but activities and awareness culminate in and are renewed with Earth Day. A number of students will be participating in the 11th annual Severna Park Earth Day Celebration this Saturday at the Severna Park Middle School. St. Martin’s Episcopal School will have a booth, and our students, families, and teachers will be hosting, among other activities, a seed-planting craft.
Earth Day began in 1970, the brainchild of Wisconsin senator Gaylord Nelson, with the purpose of increasing public awareness of the environment. Today, Earth Day is celebrated in 170 nations around the world and encompasses energy conservation, clean energy solutions, and climate change awareness.
This year’s festival at Severna Park Middle School will feature tree-planting, bicycle safety, Eco-Goats (which trim your lawn for you!), and oyster recovery. If you work up an appetite, check out the grill work of St. Martin’s-in-the-Field Episcopal Church Grill Men. Celebrating Earth Day in our communities gives us the chance, as Ghandi said, to “be the change we wish to see in the world.”