Southdown School Celebrates
Earth Day
In her final year as principal of Southdown Primary School, Michelle Marino is having just as much fun as the more than 400 students that fill the building’s classrooms. The school celebrated Earth Day last week and it provided many opportunities to learn valuable lessons as well as having a good time.
Mrs. Marino is a veritable dynamo and when she sets her sights on something the longtime educator has a way of making it happen. Earth Day 2014 was no different as Southdown students put to use their ability to recycle in a quite creative way.
“The project was for the kids to make a flower out of anything they could find,” Mrs. Marino explained. “They used egg cartons, cans, bottles, newspaper, even an old toothbrush. The flowers were very creative, but the best part was watching the children ‘plant’ their flower and seeing how it becomes part of a larger project. This year the garden had about 150 blooms.”
Mrs. Marino’s background in art is routinely put to good use around Southdown. Students are encouraged to be creative in just about everything they do and are challenged to express themselves in their own particular way. Last week’s Earth Day project was just the latest example of this philosophy in action.
The first Earth Day was held on April 22, 1970 when about 20 million people across the United States participated in environmental teach-ins and related activities. It is estimated that more than a billion people in nearly 200 countries celebrated Earth Day in their respective communities by doing their part to help save the increasingly fragile environment.
Southdown’s teachers and support staff members endeavor to create a stimulating and fulfilling environment for the school’s diverse student body. The hundreds of youngsters attending classes in the building are encouraged, nurtured, motivated and guided as they receive a strong educational foundation that faculty members believe will serve them well in future years.