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Celebrating Earth Week, Sustainability at Calvert School

Students across both divisions enjoyed lessons related to ecology, conservation, and sustainability earlier this month, April 19-22, as the School recognized Earth Week 2022. Organized by members of the Calvert School science team with assistance from student environmental stewards, Earth Week 2022 encouraged the girls and boys to celebrate the beautiful world they inhabit while being mindful of their effects on it.
In the Lower School, the boys and girls focused on learning about the desert and the many animals that live within that environment, notably armadillos, roadrunners, camels, and kangaroo rats. Each day, they searched for photos of these animals in their classrooms and heard fun facts and information from their older friends in the Middle School, who recorded video messages for Lower School classes to view each day.

In these videos, the students described the climates, landmarks, animals, and populations of people found in some of the world’s most well-known deserts. On Friday, Bryce H. ’24 and Charlie V. ’24 also described how deserts form due to drought, erosion, deforestation, and other factors.

“Desertification happens when the planet warms up. This process is called global warming,” they shared. “Global warming causes forest fires which are burning down animals’ homes, leading to desertification.”

“An animal that is being affected by desertification is the perentie. Perenties are becoming an endangered species because they need water to live and there is less of that,” Evan L. ’24 added.

In addition to watching these videos, the Lower School boys and girls also did crafts and art projects related to each desert animal, including building armadillos out of paper plates, labeling the different parts of camels, and coloring in desert-themed scenes.

Meanwhile in the Middle School, Fifth through Eighth Graders led by environmental stewards and science teacher Eric Cowell marked Earth Week with four themed days focused on humans’ effects of nature: Twilight Tuesday, No-Waste Wednesday, Thermos Thursday, and Fresh Air Friday.

Twilight Tuesday and No-Waste Wednesday concerned mindfulness about electricity usage and food waste, respectively, and reminded students to limit their consumption of energy and recognize the foods, leftovers, and scraps that are often thrown away without being eaten.

On Thursday, the School encouraged students to reduce their reliance on single-use plastics in favor of reusable items. As part of Thermos Thursday, boys and girls in each Advisory competed to carry the most reusable water bottles before winding down the week with Fresh Air Friday, a day that celebrated the joys of spending time outside.

For students in both divisions, Earth Week 2022 concluded with a themed dress-down day that encouraged students to dress in blues, greens, and nature themes in celebration of our planet.

At Calvert School, faculty and staff understand that not all classrooms have four walls, and that outdoor, experiential learning can have a huge effect on students’ academic performance, mental health, and motivation. Through extensive leadership and sustainability programming, the School aims to foster purposeful, climate-conscious global citizens. To learn more about Calvert’s emphasis on sustainability and dedicated green spaces, click here.

Thank you to Ms. Wlodarczyk, Ms. Schweiger, Ms. Jefferson, Mr. Cowell, our student environmental stewards, and everyone who contributed to Earth Week 2022!
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Calvert School is a coed independent lower and middle school.

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