Local schools celebrate Earth Day in the sun

Kindergartners at Cameron Park Elementary School enjoyed a picnic lunch Thursday at the school’s butterfly garden during one of the many activities that constituted an annual schoolwide celebration of Earth Day.

The events began first thing in the morning, as many students walked or carpooled to school to save resources and cut down on pollution.

Once at school, students received a lesson in recycling from Orange High School students.

“We get to do fun things like go outside and do fun activities,” kindergartner Tyresha Baine said.

“We learned about tadpoles, we learned about alligators, and we learned about taking care of the Earth.”

Each grade participated in different outdoor activities, including nature walks and kite-flying, throughout the morning and learned about various environmental topics, ranging from wetland restoration to oil spills and wildlife.

The school’s kindergartners took a nature walk and planted seeds.

They learned about energy conservation and habitats, said kindergarten teacher Susan Day Brooks.

“We trail-hunted for habitats,” kindergartner Veronica Doudoas said. “I saw a spiderweb.”

Students in all grades spent the afternoon on a tour of the school’s campus to look at the trees and historic spots. They then gathered for an assembly and ended the day with ice cream.

“It makes them realize that the environment is really important,” Spanish teacher Kyra Moore said.

“It gives them an opportunity to do special projects and bring the community in.”

Brooks said Earth Day allows the school to teach students about issues like recycling and conservation — things they might not learn about at home.

“Lots of them aren’t really exposed to these kinds of ideas,” she said.

First-grade teacher Cindy Horne said the event gave the students a sense of the importance of recycling and conservation.

“It’s becoming second nature to do some of these things now,” she said. “The awareness goes with them all year.”

Horne said the Earth Day event, which included activities focused on the biological and the chemical, aligns with the school’s plans to become a theme school for science and math next year.

“We feel it’s something we need to be spearheading,” she said.

But for the school’s pupils, the day was a chance to enjoy the outdoors.

“What I like about Earth Day is we get to do stuff like go find snakes,” Baine said. “We found a snake and I held it. It was a friendly snake.”

And she also has learned an important environmental rule: “Don’t leave too much water on.”

Earth Day celebrations will continue this weekend at the Earth Action Fest in Chapel Hill and Carrboro from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday.

Participants in the Earth Action March will meet at the University’s McCorkle Place and march to the fair, which will feature live music, activities and booths of various organizations at Lincoln Center.

Contact the City Editor at citydesk@unc.edu.