Green Activities Going Strong at Saint Peter’s

Green Activities Going Strong at Saint Peter’s

By Jane Bornhorst
Members of the Saint Peter’s School Environmental Club and parent volunteers are working to encourage the school community to use environmentally friendly practices and keep our world clean.

To reduce the school’s carbon footprint, Saint Peter’s held “Walk N’ Roll Week” from November 6-10. Students, faculty, and staff were encouraged to find creative ways to get to and from school, whether it be biking, walking, or carpooling to save car miles and excess emissions. This student-driven effort was led by parent volunteer Julie Zadecky.

“We hope the experience of walking or riding a bike to school will provide an opportunity for the students (and maybe their parents too) to enjoy some physical activity and fresh air before starting their day and have a nice wind down after school too. We'll be collecting information from families who participate to tally up how many miles we've saved and hope that the students will enjoy it enough to continue alternative commuting beyond this week,” Zadecky says.

Under the direction of parent volunteer Margaret Giron, the club is also working to create a rain garden, which utilizes rainfall to help plants grow and reduce soil and mulch runoff on the school grounds. The club measured roof runoff from the school downspout to help determine how big to make the rain garden.
Students in Mr. Tremblay’s math classes used rain garden calculation tables provided by Montgomery County to calculate the drain rate, and fourth grade math classes calculated how much mulch volume was needed for the space. The environmental club selected plants, and Mrs. Caldeira’s seventh-grade science class did a perc test, which analyzes the drainage capability of raw land for future development.

Pope Francis in his “Laudato Si’” encyclical said climate change should be taken seriously, and that Catholics and everyone should do all they can to protect the Earth and environment. In late November, a speaker from the Office of Social Concerns will speak to Saint Peter’s students about fulfilling this Catholic obligation. 
“It's so much fun to see the excitement and enthusiasm that the kids have for planning and executing eco-friendly projects, not to mention the smiles on their faces at the completion of a successful project!" said Giron.
 
Saint Peter's families can find more information and get involved with The Green Team by visiting The Key.