Riverstone’s Earth Week

Throughout this past two weeks, students have been learning about all of the sustainability initiatives on campus at Riverstone to celebrate Earth Day.

Elementary School students attended a brief assembly where they learned about pollinators and the school’s Pollinator Garden. Each class was given a blueberry bush that they will plant on campus with Outdoor Education Program Director, Ben Brock, during the coming weeks.

Senior Alex M presented a mason bee house that will be installed in the pollinator garden to illustrate that not all bees sting and are welcome in our garden. Special thanks to Far West Nursery for providing the blueberry bushes to replace the Japanese Yew shrubs that the school removed in February to provide a safer wintering habitat for deer and elk.

In an assembly organized by students in the Plant, Sustainability and Veggie Clubs, Middle and High School students learned about diverting waste from the landfill through increased awareness of recycling, composting and reusable containers. During the 200+ person event, less than 2lbs of garbage was produced! All biodegradable waste was diverted into the Middle and High School garden compost and all plastic/glass made its way into the recycling. Following the assembly, Darjeeling Momo, El Paco Tacos y Tortas and Burgerlicious food trucks set-up shop in the Middle and High School Quad for the school’s first Food Truck Rally! The rally educated students about fuel emissions and the environment and encouraged students to stay on campus for lunch or walk to nearby stores.

Big thanks to Naomi C (Gr 12), Ethan E (Gr 6), Anna F (Gr 10), Andres G (Gr 12), Avery P (Gr 10), Olivia P (Gr 12), Zach P (Gr 6), Vedant R (Gr 6), and Dev S (Gr 6), for inspiring us all to have a positive impact on our planet!

Additionally, students from our Outdoor Leadership Program will be maintaining Riverstone’s Ridge-to-Rivers Adopt a Trail segment in Polecat Gulch.

On Earth Day, Saturday, Apr 22, our community will gather to expand the school’s Pollinator Garden and Bio Swale on the west side of the Elementary School! Once the swale itself has been widened and a bit more sod has been converted into mulched garden beds each Kindergarten through Grade 5 class will get to plant a blueberry bush and make our campus more pollinator friendly, and edible. Native and flowering plants will continue to find homes in the garden during the spring thanks to Plant Club and Middle School Science classes! Stay tuned for more pictures.