Starting on Earth Day, April 22, Miramonte Leadership will hold Environmental Spirit Week to celebrate conservation efforts and raise awareness of environmental issues. Students will have opportunities to earn sweet treats and learn about the environment by checking out Leadership’s daily Instagram posts, participating in lunchtime activities, and following themed dress-up days.
Leadership’s Environmental Commission and Spirit Commission collaborated to organize Environmental Spirit Week. Members of both commissions gained their positions at the beginning of the school year after expressing interest in those specific aspects of Leadership.
“I wanted to be a part of the Environmental Commission because there are various environmental issues in our world, and I wanted to spread awareness on our campus to educate others,” junior and Head of the Environmental Commission Ava Dhaliwal said.
Campus Beautification Day officially kicked off Environmental Spirit Week on April 20, when over 50 volunteers gathered at Miramonte to improve four zones of campus, including the space in front of the library and the garden by the tennis courts. Some volunteers brought water, snacks, and gardening supplies while others helped to fill garden boxes, lay down gravel, and plant trees.
“Hopefully, students can come to school on Monday and see and appreciate the work that was done on Saturday,” Leadership teacher Cassi Porter said.
To start the week, students could get donut holes or candy on Carpool Day by carpooling, biking, or taking the bus to school and showing Leadership students a picture of them doing so during lunch. On Tuesday, students can participate by playing aquatic-themed bingo on the Quad at lunch or wearing blue clothes.
Wednesday is Safari Day,which students can participate in by wearing safari gear or animal-print clothing. Lunch on Wednesday will feature an information booth about endangered animals and trivia about environmental issues from the Environmental Solutions club. Additionally, in a “spin-the-wheel” activity, students will also have the opportunity to win prizes for generating a solution to a randomly selected environmental issue.
Sophomore Paige Sovocool is president of Environmental Solutions. “[Our club] aims to inspire Miramonte students to fight against issues such as the climate crisis, carbon emissions, and problems with waste management through engaging lunchtime activities, like Wednesday’s trivia,” Sovocool said.
For Thursday’s event — themed Floral Day because students can participate by wearing floral print clothing — Leadership will partner with Wellness to have students watercolor flowers in front of the Wellness Center. Environmental Spirit Week will conclude on Friday with a Green Out, in which students wear green, and a Mats Check, granting green-wearing students the opportunity to win candy by answering trivia questions.
The actions that Environmental Spirit Week encourages, such as using sustainable transportation and developing potential environmental solutions, have significant impacts on conservation. According to a study by the International Transport Forum (ITF), combining infrastructure investment, improvements to public transport, and incentives for shared rides would result in an 8 percent reduction in carbon emissions.
Environmental Spirit Week combines information and fun to inspire the Miramonte student body to help preserve the environment.
“Environmental Spirit Week engages students in a way that somber infographics or posters can’t. Instead of just throwing information out, students get the chance to dress up and have fun,” sophomore and member of the Environmental Commission Sawyer Bohlig said.
