Service projects and science learning stations abounded during Creswell’s Sixth Annual Earth Day Celebration, held April 24 in the field area between Creslane Elementary School and Creswell High School, and also incorporating both school gardens.
In past years, the Earth Day Celebration has been held at Garden Lake Park, with Creslane third and fifth graders and Creswell Middle School seventh graders bused over to attend; however, because teachers had expressed a desire for greater levels of student participation and “ownership” of the event and its activities, the decision was made to change the venue this year so that all Creslane students could participate, said Maia Hardy, Community and Economic Development Coordinator for the City of Creswell.
The new venue also allowed participants to take advantage of the educational resources already on-site, including oaks, blooming camas and school gardens at both Creslane (where students planted blueberries) and CHS.
Students also planted summer squash starts with Good Food Easy CSA farm (CSA stands for Community Supported Agriculture).
Coast Fork Willamette Watershed Council (CFWWC) volunteers were on hand to give a presentation on watershed health and water quality, while Natural Resource Conservation Service volunteers taught students about soil health and oak prairies.
Creswell Library personnel led team games, including an earth-themed relay race, while at the Creswell Farmers’ Market table, volunteers helped students make wildflower seed bombs at their table.
“Seed bombs are balls of clay, potting soil and seeds that are dried and then thrown right before a good rain to make a patch of flowers,” said volunteer Emily Horton.
“Seed bombs are often used by ‘guerrilla gardeners,’ people who like to throw seeds to grow flowers and vegetables in otherwise unused or vacant lots in town,” Horton added. “Sometimes these lots are surrounded by high fences and rather than trespass, the guerrilla gardeners just launch seed bombs.”
At CHS, with teacher Anne O’Connell and science students, Creslane students did a recycling relay, identified animal pelts, planted trees and tomatoes, and painted rocks and left handprints on an Earth Day wall.
Students also helped spread bark and rake the trail between that runs between the schools.
Coordinated for the past six years by the City of Creswell, with the support of the CFWWC, partner groups for the 2015 celebration included CHS leadership and science students, led by O’Connell; NRCS, the Creswell Library, Creswell Farmers’ Market and Good Food Easy CSA Farm.
“Overall it was such a wonderful event. The kids were really able to get their hands dirty and learn a variety of things about earth and how we can help to make it a better place,” Hardy said. “Huge thank yous go to all of the folks that participated and the school district for being a wonderful host.”
Originally published in The Creswell Chronicle
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Creswell, OR 97426
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