Sustainability Spotlight: Earth Month Celebrations
This month’s Sustainability Spotlight is shining on the many ways Lincoln Public Schools celebrated Earth Day this year! Students at every grade level engaged with green topics thanks to support from staff, families, and neighbors in their school communities. We’ve pulled together some Earth Month 2024 highlights from around the district.
April 2: S.O.S. Summit
A dozen LPS high schoolers gathered in the Science Focus Program building on April 2 for the second annual Students of Sustainability (S.O.S.) Summit.
After the LPS Sustainability team shared information about the district’s ongoing green efforts, Lincoln’s Chief Sustainability Officer Kim Morrow walked students through the process that created the city’s Climate Action Plan.
The group brainstormed their shared vision for sustainability in the district, then worked in teams to set specific goals that could help LPS achieve that vision.
The evening concluded with a presentation from 2024 YLAI Fellow Francisco Voulminot detailing how he turned a university project into a thriving, sustainability-focused business.
April 20: Lincoln Earth Day
LPS Sustainability released the 2023 Annual Sustainability Report in time for Lincoln Earth Day on April 20.
The report outlines key statistics in areas like waste generation and energy consumption, as well as celebrates awards and events that made 2023 a great year for sustainability at LPS.
Lincoln Earth Day attendees flipped through the report and chatted with LPS Sustainability team members while the booth’s younger visitors completed an earth-themed sorting activity.
April 22: LPS Earth Day
Earth Day fell on Monday, April 22 this year, and the district came together to start the week off strong! Lincoln Public Schools produced a video highlighting how the district supports sustainability year-round.
LPS Superintendent Dr. Paul Gausman starred in the video and later dropped in to Monday afternoon’s environmental club showcase at the Steve Joel District Leadership Center.
Students from five high schools set up booths to share their clubs’ work with staff in the district office. This was also an opportunity to network between schools, and club members swapped stories, stickers, and plant cuttings with their fellow students.
Various Dates: School Activities
Schools around LPS celebrated the earth with activities all month long! Lakeview, Riley, and Randolph Elementaries all hosted Nature Nights for students and their families, and Don Sherrill students created a sustainabili-tree with pledges to help the environment.
Northeast High School students pitched in to help clear out the Culler Middle School courtyard for future planting projects, and many more outdoor spaces across the city saw planting, mulching, and cleanup events throughout the month, too!
From Robinson Elementary’s “Agents of Change” musical to Kloefkorn’s chalk and mosaic art projects, students were also thinking about the Earth from an artist’s perspective just as much as a scientist’s this Earth Month.
Updated May 1, 2024
