Student Editorial Team: Belle Roberts, Denise Cao, and Leanna Duong

Earth Day is a celebration that should be very dear to our hearts. We live and take from this planet everyday, but it never asks for anything in return. With the onset of intense pollution, global warming, and climate change, it is now more important than ever to literally save the world. From fundraising for trees to showing documentaries about the Russian River watershed, IGDVGS students celebrated throughout the week with numerous activities to raise awareness of environmental issues, as well as by simply enjoying the great outdoors. Two members from the Earth Day Celebration committee, Denise Cao and Leanna Duong, both from the class of 2018, explained:

“In celebration of Earth Day, our school hosted a series of events throughout the month to spread awareness of the changes that must be made to better the environment and our society as a whole. To start off, we put together a powerpoint explaining the significance of this holiday, as well as the activities that would take place. We planted our kindness tree (nectarine tree gifted by Service Space) at the school garden to nourish the community and fundraised for The Canopy Project where every dollar equates to one tree planted. Within the school, a blackboard was installed to allow students of all ages to write pledges about cherishing and preserving the Earth. To further educate the student a documentary screening was held; highlighting the Russian River, its significant contributions to the environment, and the people who inhabited it. For the purpose of involving the elementary school, we told stories, and performed dancing and singing along to a video about how to save the Earth.”

Both luckily and unluckily for us, it rained on Earth day. Our outdoor sports day was once again moved indoors, but that did not stop the students from trying their best and having fun. Afterwards, the picnic was also moved indoors, but parents and students alike ate a full meal and appreciated the much needed rain.

Just a side note, we raised enough money to plant 695 trees!