Earth Day 2025
As the late Pope Francis stated, Earth Day “is an occasion for renewing our commitment to love and care for our common home and for the weaker members of our human family.” This year Saint Patrick Catholic School celebrated Earth Day and the legacy of Pope Francis on Wednesday, April 30. It was a beautiful spring day and our students thoroughly enjoyed a morning full of events and activity stations.
Our PreK and Kindergarten students participated in a number of activities on The Green. They explored the power of wind with the help of pinwheels and parachutes and had the opportunity to blow countless bubbles into the air!
First through fourth grade students visited different stations and enjoyed a variety of activities including a recycle relay, composting, and learned about the Mason Bee pollinators from alumni parent, Barbara Bonheur. The Catholic High School Environmental Club showed students the importance of pollinators, Norfolk Academy students - which included Wolfhound graduate Adam F. (2021) - gave several environmentally-focused presentations, and The Ryan Resilience Lab discussed the state of the Elizabeth River by focusing on eel and otter populations.
Middle School students studied renewable and non-renewable resources, learned water quality with parent and Laudato Si Committee member Janet Kim, participated in bird watching, tree identification with a Norfolk Park Ranger, and bioaccumulation with Wolfhound parent, staff member and Laudato Si Committee member Suzanne Emmons. In addition, alumni parent Jack Granger hosted a solar display, the Surfrider Foundation shared how we can keep our waterways free of pollution and trash, and a team from the Hermitage Museum & Gardens was on hand to discuss living shorelines. Perhaps the most popular station was the Solar S‘Mores. While it took a little patience, students created ovens and used the sun's power to bake their gooey treats.
We would like to thank the Saint Patrick Catholic School Laudato Si Committee, comprised of current and former teachers, parents, and staff members, for their hard work in organizing and carrying out these fun Earth Day activities. We would also like to give a special shout-out to Suzanne Emmons, Christy Everett, Meg Lassalle, and Heather Powers for leading the efforts on Earth Day. Meg Lassalle was also the recipient of this year's Dr. Richard Strauss Environmental Award. The Laudato Si Committee leads the many efforts throughout the year to sustain and carry out our mission of environmental stewardship and empowers our Wolfhound students to do the same.
