SMS celebrates Earth Day

SWORMVILLE — Since 1970, Earth Day has been celebrated yearly on April 22 to demonstrate support worldwide for environmental protection. St. Mary School students completed several special projects to mark the occasion through the week.

Grade 3 enjoyed getting creative to complete some beautiful Earth Day paintings, while Grade 2 pledged to conserve resources, recycle and clean up trash to help care for God’s creation in “Lorax” themed writing pieces.

Mrs. Kristy Witkowski’s Grade 2 Science class was also buzzing about Earth Day, specifically in relation to some of our planet’s smaller inhabitants (and our school mascot) – bees. Students constructed bees out of fuzzy materials like pom poms or cotton balls to mimic a real bee’s anatomy, then tested how well the bees they made were able to transfer pollen from one flower to another. The children learned how bees are a vital part of our ecosystem because of their impact on pollination, and what physical attributes help them achieve this.

Also, the grade 6 boys submitted their 2024 Erie County Rain Barrel Competition piece this month. The Erie County Department of Environment & Planning invites schools and youth groups in Erie and Niagara counties to participate in a rain barrel painting contest annually. A rain barrel collects and stores rainwater from your roof that would otherwise flow across lawns, driveways, roads and parking lots – picking up dirt, oil, fertilizers, and other chemicals along the way before emptying into storm drains or streams. The contest rain barrels are converted from donated 55-gallon food-grade drums. Contaminated storm-water runoff is the primary cause of pollution in our waterways. Rain barrels help reduce the volume of runoff, and therefore its potential to convey pollutants. The rain barrel painting project helps students learn more about how to protect water quality in our rivers, streams and lakes.

So much of what St. Mary’s students do on a daily basis revolves around care and concern for God’s creation. Even the youngest Montessori pre-K students will be observing the miracle of life when the chicken eggs they’ve been incubating hatch in just a few short days.

From recycling, being mindful of our energy consumption by shutting off lights, and using reusable water bottles to reduce plastic waste, SMS students live out a daily commitment to care for our common home.