News

Thursday, April 15, 2010

Santa Barbara School Districts celebrate Earth Day 2010

Many of the districts’ schools, and the Nutrition Services Department, will be celebrating Earth Day 2010:

APRIL 17 – LA CUESTA CONTINUATION HIGH SCHOOL

La Cuesta and Alta Vista will hold a reuse and recycle rummage sale on Saturday, April 17, at the district office parking lot, 720 Santa Barbara Street, from 8:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.

APRIL 17 - WASHINGTON SCHOOL

The week of April 5, Washington students and parents started collecting found objects that will be used to create a mandala at the April 17 Earth Day Festival in Alameda Park. Students will gather at the Kids Art Area to work on the mandala.

APRIL 17-18 – NUTRITION SERVICES

The Nutrition Services Department, in partnership with Orfalea Foundations, will be serving up the tasty school food in the districts’ new Mobile Cafe on both days the Earth Day Festival, as well as conducting a live stage demonstration at noon each day and providing some of Nutrition Services’ best school food recipes.

APRIL 19-23 – SANTA BARBARA HIGH SCHOOL

Monday, April 19 Carpool and Bike to School Day: Students are encouraged to carpool/bike to school. As an incentive, there will be a carpool raffle on Monday and again on Friday. A team of qualified bike mechanics from local bike shops will be on campus at lunch to offer free tune-ups and bike repairs. The school’s Dons Riders will hold a bike show. There will be a live DJ. The intention is to encourage and facilitate use of transportation alternatives.

Tuesday, April 20 – Eat Local Day: Students are encouraged to bring backyard foods to share for a local picnic, with entertainment provided by the school jazz band, on the senior lawn. There will be various speakers on sustainability and food production. There will be free lemonade and finger food, all made from ingredients donated by local sources and prepared from scratch by cafeteria staff. Students will be encouraged to eat local and attend the Farmers Market that afternoon, plant a garden, etc.

Wednesday, April 21 – Don’t Trash Santa Barbara Day: Students encouraged to bring their used plastic bottles from that day to help build a “trash monster” float for the Solstice Parade. There will be a contest for “trash monster” concept designs. There will be an art exhibit, a collaboration between Santa Barbara and San Marcos high schools, to demonstrate recyclable waste volume produced by high school students, and a trash exhibit to show how much similar material was collected from local beaches in recent Green Club clean-ups. Students are encouraged to participate in campus-wide recycling efforts.

Thursday, April 22 – E-Waste Day: Students and parents are encouraged to bring e-waste from home, for free community collection event. The Virtual Enterprise class will offer Dons Net Café coupons to students who donate a trashed cell phone, all other e-waste will be collected and routed to appropriate recycling programs. There will be speakers to talk about the impact of e-waste and demonstrations of toxicity of e-materials.

Friday, April 23 – Associated Student Body’s green-theme front lawn event: This year’s Student Environmentalist Award winners will be announced. Students will celebrate Earth Day and the end of STAR testing.

While they last, go green with the help of the Santa Barbara High Green Academy. Spruce up your yard with plants from the Green Academy. As a fundraiser, the Green Academy at Santa Barbara High is offering discounted spring transplants to all district staff. There are one-gallon natives for $3; 3" pots of heirloom tomatoes, herbs and spices for $1; and six-packs of mixed lettuce, mixed kale, spinach, basil, arugula, broccoli and various greens for $2. These plants were propagated by students and all are now ready for the garden.

The Santa Barbara High greenhouse is open from 7:00-7:50 a.m. all week except Wednesdays (8:00-8:50 a.m.) and by appointment during lunch and after school. All plants are available on a first-come first-served basis. The Green Academy accepts cash or checks. For more information, call Jose Caballero at 805) 966-9101, ext. 342.

Roosevelt students read books by local author Bruce Hale, who will participate in Roosevelt's Earth Day activities.

APRIL 22 – ROOSEVELT ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

On Earth Day, April 22, there will be a special assembly for Roosevelt School’s second and third graders. Bruce Hale, local writer of children's books, will be making a presentation on environmental issues. He is a participant in the Authors For Earth Day organization. Authors around the world will be going to schools to bring awareness to conservation issues. Bruce Hale has offered to visit Roosevelt and will also be making a donation to an environmental organization. The children will be involved in deciding where the money will go.

APRIL 22-23 – SANTA BARBARA JUNIOR HIGH

Earth Day-related tips and trivia with raffle prizes. Screening of the Video Production class video on Earth Day. Lunchtime Prize Patrol for students using reusable containers. Students will show their "Green" school spirit by wearing the color green, clothes that show Earth friendly messages, or organic fibers. There will be a collection of plastic bottles in coordination with San Marcos High for the Earth Day Festival.

LATE APRIL/EARLY MAY – DOS PUEBLOS HIGH SCHOOL

Dos Pueblos High School is planning a Green Week in late April/early May to include dress-up days, Earth-friendly lunchtime educational activities, and class competitions.