Area Schools To Celebrate Earth Day April 19

Audubon Elementary School is hosting an Earth Day parade starting at 7:30 a.m. Thursday.  The school is located at 300 Worthington Road. 

Students and staff members will present floats and artwork showcasing ways to “reduce, reuse and recycle.”

 The grand marshal of the parade will be the Lorax, star of the Dr. Seuss classic book and recent movie who “speaks for the trees” on behalf of environmental responsibility. (The Lorax will be portrayed by interim assistant principal Mitchell Jones.) 

The program will include the presentation of a tree purchased through the “Trash to Trees” initiative from last year. Every year, AES participates in a special recycling project coordinated by media specialist Kathy Dowdy. Last year, students collected soft drink tabs to be recycled. The school is using the money from that project to buy trees to landscape their campus, and their first tree – a magnolia – will be unveiled at this year’s program. 

For their current reduce/reuse/recycle project, students are now collecting plastic tops from soft drink and water bottles, which will be recycled into benches to be placed along the school’s walking track. 

“Our goal is to add more trees and create shady areas for the children to enjoy while walking on the trail, and making our campus even more beautiful,” said Caleb York, AES interim principal. 

Members of the Tamarack Elementary School “Green Team” are sponsoring a beautification project on their school campus, located at 1733 Tamarack Road.

Students and staff members will plant flowers and work on the walking trail behind the school from 2:30 to 3:30 p.m. Thursday.  

Tamarack received a Lowe’s Toolbox for Education grant in 2010 and began work on the “Tamarack Eco Walk Star Trail” project, which included developing a “green space” around the school’s walking trail. Since then, students, staff and families have planted flowers, shrubs and trees; added bird and butterfly sanctuaries; installed outdoor bulletin boards and signs; and placed benches in strategic areas to encourage people to spend time in the beautiful outdoor setting. 

The project is designed to give Tamarack students an opportunity to interact with nature, especially in an area of town that is without parks. The project also encourages a sense of community and responsibility as the children work to maintain the walking trail and its natural elements. 

In addition, the walking trail is handicap accessible, supporting Tamarack’s continued mission of making educational experiences available to all.

Other schools are observing Earth Day in various ways. Parents are encouraged to become involved and ask their children how the day was observed at their schools.