By Courtney Kishimoto

Spring. It’s the time of renewal and growth. Lately, a lot of that has been happening at Senator O’Connor! O’Connor is a gold-certified eco-school and has been for the past few years, thanks to the hard work and dedication of the school’s eco-club.

New plans for the school include having a bench installed in the school yard for students to enjoy the fresh air outside. In addition to this, plants are being grown in the school’s own greenhouse; delicious fruits and vegetables (such as tomatoes, peppers, and many others) are being taken care of by the SOS club members. These plants will later be transferred to the outdoor garden when they are ready.

 

Work is also being done within the school walls to ensure that everyone does their part in helping the environment. A week full of activities centered on ecology will be hosted by the eco-team. Earth Week began with Reptilia. A presenter came with various reptiles to discuss the importance of responsible pet ownership.

            A bake sale will be held to raise money for an environmental organization. Also, donation boxes for used clothes will be placed around the school to promote re-using items that we may not need. In addition, a table will be set up during lunchtime to spread awareness on organic foods, GMOs, and water. This will be done through the use of fun trivia questions and students attempting to differentiate between bottled and tap water through a taste test.

 Last (but not least) is an eco-homeroom challenge that has been taking place for the past month. The eco-club checks all the homeroom classes and rates how environmentally-friendly the classes are (whether the lights are turned off, whether waste is properly disposed in the garbage and recycling bins, etc.). The winning homeroom is awarded a pizza lunch! This deserving class will be announced during Earth Week as well.

It is everyone’s duty to take care of the planet we are living in; not just for ourselves, but also for future generations. Through the different activities such as Earth Week, the OCS Eco-Club hopes to make a difference and spread awareness towards helping the environment.

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