On Wednesday, April 22, Harbor Country Day School students celebrated Earth Day by creating a “green” composting system and cleaning up and beautifying the 11 acres of property surrounding the school’s historic “Tulip Knoll”.
Students in kindergarten through 3rd grade created a Vermicompost system, which employs red worms to digest food scraps and turn the food into a rich, usable fertilizer. As a result of the lesson, the children now will collect organic waste from Harbor’s own lunchroom and compost it instead of simply throwing it in the trash. They will then utilize the worm castings as fertilizer for the school garden. To illustrate the concepts of reusing and recycling, these students also created self-watering planters with recycled soda bottles.
Harbor Country Day’s youngest students – three- and four-year-olds – also joined the day’s festivities. The preschoolers helped clean up Harbor’s patios and walkways and planted flowers in the school’s garden beds.
“Earth Day is a big deal for us at Harbor,” said Science Teacher Kaitlin Dayton. “Whenever possible, we try to incorporate the environment into our curriculum, whether by spending the day at the Nissequogue River or by bringing science class outdoors. Earth Day is a fantastic hands-on opportunity for our students to learn about our environment, while having fun at the same time.”
Harbor Country Day’s 4th through 8th graders spent the afternoon cleaning up and beautifying the school’s campus.
“We wanted the Upper School students to have the opportunity to participate in a way that was meaningful to them, as well as educational,” said Brian O’Shaughnessy, Upper School Science Teacher. “By cleaning up the campus, mulching and planting, the students have been able to see the results of their hard work first-hand and develop an even deeper connection with the school.”
Last year, Harbor Country Day students celebrated Earth Day by cleaning up Short Beach in St. James, creating a garden bed at the school with donated plants and making “green rocks” that illustrated their goals for cleaning up the environment.
“Here at Harbor, we always strive to provide our students with the most holistic education possible, which certainly includes developing a comprehensive understanding of, and appreciation for, the environment in which they live,” said John Cissel, Harbor Country Day’s Head of School. “In addition to providing an occasion to learn about, clean up and beautify our environment, Earth Day also gives us a wonderful opportunity to pull together multiple disciplines, including science and service learning.”
About Harbor Country Day School
Founded in 1958 by conscientious parents, Harbor Country Day School is an independent, co-educational day school for children from preschool through 8th grade situated in St. James’ Village of Head of the Harbor. The school employs a whole-child approach to education, wherein its rigorous curriculum is supported by a broad program in its academic, athletic, advisory, and visual and performing arts departments designed to develop all aspects of each child’s talents and interests. Harbor Country Day School’s summer camp program, Camp Harbor, is among the leading summer camp programs on Long Island. The school’s mission to “cherish childhood, cultivate wonder, and inspire confident learners and leaders” underscores every child’s experience at Harbor Country Day School and ensures that all of its graduates are prepared to lead fulfilling lives filled with wonder, confidence, and many successes. Harbor Country Day School is chartered by the New York State Board of Regents and is accredited by and a member of the New York State Association of Independent Schools (NYSAIS). It is a non-sectarian, nonprofit organization under section 501(c) (3) of the IRS Code governed by a self-perpetuating board of trustees. For more information, visit www.hcdsny.org.
Source: Harbor Country Day School