Schools/Groups/Green Kids Eliot

From Green Needham

Lisa Gordon coordinates Green Kids Eliot.

Earth Day 2009

What a fabulous day we had for Earth Day. The shining sun helped to boost the energy at Eliot. The day began with 199 kids walking to school, many of whom walked with Mrs. Wilcox. They picked up what amounted to a huge box of trash along the way.

"Lights Out Eliot" followed, as the school was kept "dark" for 10% of the school day in an effort to jump start Needham's 10% energy challenge, a program which asks Needham residents to reduce energy use by 10% (see http://www.greenneedham.org, click "Take the 10% Challenge".) Our goal is to have the highest percentage of families among all the elementary schools participate. You can watch our progress by the chart in the lobby.

The whole school was treated to a healthy snack of Gala apples, courtesy of Sudbury Farms. Kindergarten children sent beautiful cards to thank the Sudbury Farms staff. The Recycled Art Show was a tremendous hit. The creativity and talent, while not surprising, was impressive. Each participant was given a National Grid piggy bank which was made from recycled electronics.

Throughout the week, the students learned about endangered species, specifically about polar bears. We adopted a polar bear from the World Wildlife Fund. The kids had a contest to name our bear. Snowball was the winning name and the stuffed version will reside in 2nd grade.

The day finished with a whole school assembly where the school sang "This Pretty Planet." Also, a reading about polar bears by the fifth grade Go Green Team and a poem about polar bears by Mrs. Schuchard and Mrs. Wankowicz were shared with the school. Thanks to the Science Center, we had real polar bear hide for the students to see and feel.

Thanks to the great enthusiasm at our school, students, teachers and parents are making a big difference.

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