A Day of Celebrating the Earth

The sun was shining as seventh graders stepped outside their Sleepy Hollow Middle School classrooms to be one with nature. Students took part in a day of celebrating the Earth on Wednesday, April 24, 2024. Throughout the day they enjoyed immersive lessons on ecology, sustainability, and equity while focusing on making the world a better place for all.

The festivities began with students reviewing the key ideas behind sustainability and calculating their carbon footprints in their homerooms. They learned the importance of supporting the environmental, economic, and social needs of society and how to make a difference in the world.

“I liked the lesson on the carbon footprint. It taught us what we are doing daily and how that affects the environment,” said Leah Rodriguez. “I’m pretty proud of myself for not leaving a big footprint but there are things I will be doing to reduce it, like walking to school more often and taking shorter showers.”

Students were found throughout the grounds engaging in various earth themed activities such as playing soccer and volleyball with balls that resemble the earth, drawing images of flowers and the globe with sidewalk chalk, reading books on the planet, and exploring nature.

“The intention of our Earth Day Celebration was to provide students insight into their own personal impact on Earth, while motivating them to take informed action to help build a better future for all the plants and animals, including humans,” said Mr. Garguilo, Middle School Science Teacher.

The day concluded with a mindfulness reflection on the front lawn overlooking the town. Mr. Garguilo played a special song written for the day on his Ukulele after the students talked about what they look forward to in the future.