Mendham Township Students Have Fun While Being “Green”

Mendham Township, NEW JERSEY (June 10, 2019) – June 3, 2019 was Green Day at Mendham Township Elementary School as students participated in a day full of activities dedicated to supporting sustainability. As Mrs. Erica Parke explained, “We wanted to have a special day to celebrate schoolwide which was dedicated to our ongoing sustainability efforts.” (Mrs. Parke is a teacher for the third grade and Project Leader for the school’s Green Team.) Students from Kindergarten to Grade 4 had an opportunity to celebrate the day in their own way. Each grade level ran different activities all day long. For example, students in fourth grade completed environmentally related math word problems and a scavenger hunt. Students in third grade did nature photography, participated in a scavenger hunt, and studied life cycle work. Meanwhile, second grade completed a recycled Makerspace project, while students in first grade studied clouds outside and went on nature walks to the river on Patriot's Path. Kindergarteners eagerly participated in their own scavenger hunt activities too.

The school arranged a day so that community leaders could also come and visit with the children and speak to ongoing efforts to support sustainability and encourage the students to be “Green” ambassadors. Volunteers from Friends of the Great Swamp, the national wildlife refuge, were guest speakers at a school assembly. Their presentation for the kids explained what they could see at the swamp and the different kind of animals there, and they explained the concept of Leave no Trace. Their presentation inspired the students by detailing how it was a true community effort to save the land from being developed into an airport!

Mr. Boden, a member of the Township Environmental Commission spoke to students in the third grade about the importance of their efforts underway at school and how each student can make a significant difference. During his talk he described the purpose of the Environmental Commission and its activities. He also described the process of composting and referenced the composting project that is being established at the Mendham Township Elementary School. As part of composting project an Eagle Scout is working on a compost bin for the school’s Outside Learning Center. Starting in August, the school will be able to compost the chickens’ waste and lunchroom biodegradables. You can read more about the Mendham Township Elementary School's chickens here.

On this “Green Day” at the school, Mrs. Erica Parke released the adult butterflies that students had been observing as part of their life stage studies in her classroom. What a great day for students and butterflies as they stretched their wings.