Week of Service: Working Together For Our World

Over the last few months, the Green Team Leaders facilitated our larger monthly Green Team meetings, and they also acted as project managers, coordinating small groups of Green Team members to work on each grade’s project. For many classes, this week’s acts of service are a checkpoint in their year-long environmental service projects — stay tuned for updates during Earth Month!

Juli & Tao, 8th grade project leaders: We worked with Lachlan, Abe, and the eighth-grade team to create a workshop that we taught to the eighth-grade students to teach them about the importance of ocean and beach conservation. On January 18th, the eighth-grade class went to Baker Beach where they used their knowledge from the workshop to clean up the beach to help create a better and cleaner environment. Furthermore, the eighth-grade team is planning to do a community share during Earth Month where they will teach the community about what they have learned through assembly talks, kindergarten meetups, Live Oak social media sharing, or poster making.

Julissa & Iris, 7th grade project leaders: 7th grade went to Heron’s Head for a day of park restoration, bird watching, and exploring. Julissa and I coordinated with teachers and worked with friends to create a video detailing our exploration. Overall, it was a wonderful trip and also helped clean up a beautiful park by the ocean.

Mikaela, 6th grade project leader: 6th grade went on a park cleanup to Candlestick Park, where they picked up trash and sorted it into trash and recycling. Last week, Elliot, Tristan and I taught a presentation on what goes in which bin to the three sixth grade sections. For Earth Day, Elliot, Tristan, and I will lead a Jeopardy game on watersheds for sixth grade, to test their knowledge on how watersheds work and the pollution that gets carried through the watershed, which ties into their science curriculum.

Anika, 5th grade project leader: I worked on habitat restoration for fifth grade along with Selma. Selma and I have done our research and will be presenting a lesson to the fifth graders to help prepare them for when they take action and start restoring habitats on Friday with the Parks & Rec center. We will then do a project with them in which they will be practicing habitat restoration by hand! The fifth graders have also  been learning how habitat restoration dates back to the indigenous people and what they did to solve it as well. All in all, they are learning how to make a better environment with their own two hands.

Gibson, 4th grade project leader: I’m working on a vermicomposting bin (worm composting bin) for 4th grade with Braxton, Kai, Logan, Justin, Cayden and Jayden. This week we presented our slides for the 4th graders and soon we will finish the bin and perfect it.

Josie, 3rd grade project leader: I’ve been working with Maggie D., Daria B., Mabel R., and Pascale C. on presentations to teach to third grade. They will learn about the impacts that are healthy v.s. junk foods have on the environment, and how it’s not just where these foods end up, but how they were produced that contributes to the climate crisis. We will also teach them about how junk foods are targeted at low income communities, and how it’s important to understand that different communities have access to varying resources.

Shaila & Seren, 2nd grade project leaders: We are teaching the 2nd graders about food waste. We had them make goals and will check back in with them around Earth Day. We brainstormed solutions they could try at home and teach their families about. (2nd grade parents, if you are reading this, ask your kids for solutions for your food waste). We talked about only buying what you need so your food doesn’t expire and must be thrown away. 

Serenity, 1st grade project leader: I went to First East and gave a presentation on reducing plastic usage in their everyday life. This happened during their snack time and once they were done I helped them sort their trash into the appropriate bins. I did the same with First West. I hope that first graders will continue to use this at home and in the world around them.