Getting a head start on Earth Day

Oceanside students are getting a jump-start on Earth Day, with a new initiative designed to encourage students to go green and stay green throughout the year. High School students presented their ideas to their younger classmates at a mini “Save the Earth” summit at OHS on Jan. 14. Then the students broke into groups to brainstorm new environmentally-friendly ideas with their fellow classmates.

Robert Fenter, the district’s superintendent of curriculum, instruction and research, said the goal is to plan Earth Day activities from now until the big day in April. Last year, each school worked on its own Earth Day initiatives, and much of the planning was done by adults, Fenter said. But this year, students are taking the helm. “We thought we’d ramp it up a little bit this year,” Fenter said, explaining that in addition to working within their own schools, students will collaborate with their classmates from other schools in the district.

More than 70 students from each school’s student council attended the summit Jan. 14, decked out in green T-shirts that read “Saving the Earth, School by School.” Representatives from the OHS Recycling Club led the presentation, which included an outline of the day’s activities, plans for the rest of the year, a motivational song for the younger students, and a trivia game.

They also unveiled a new Web site where schools will log their progress with environmental initiatives, in a friendly competition designed to encourage students to get involved. Upcoming activities include “Reduce your Carbon Footprint Day,” “Send a Letter to your Congressman Day,” and “Recycle a Water Bottle Day.”

Seniors Chris Williams and Casey English, the vice president and treasurer of the recycling club, said the goal is to get younger students involved as much as possible. They hope each school will plan their own “Save the Earth” projects to present at another summit that will take place in April. “We want to spark enthusiasm in our peers,” English said.

And the younger students seemed to get the message. “We have to do good today so later the world is better,” said Joe Rugolo, a 7th grader at Oceanside Middle School. Shannon Citarella and Kelsey Mitchell, from School No. 3, said they learned about the importance of recycling, and that if each school takes the time to do so, a little can go a long way. Taylor Chodash, from School No. 8, and Emily Silver, from School No. 9, said they were interested in finding out how much food is wasted at their schools, and how they can help to make sure their schools are recycling.

The hope is that students will continue discussions like those back at their schools, and work with their classmates to develop their own Earth Day projects throughout the year, in addition to working on the Earth Day initiatives outlined on the district’s Web site. “This is really a student-generated mini summit,” said science director Kathy Chapman. “The students are the ones who are going to be the caretakers.” Frank Rugolo, a chemistry teacher and the advisor of the recycling club, agreed. “They took a lot of the initiatives themselves,” he said. “We just pointed the kids where to go and they went.”

Students can log on to the district’s Earth Day web site at www.oceanside.k12.ny.us.