By Lisa Woo

As our Americorps terms comes to an end (July 15th is the last day for a handful of our team members) it is hard not to get sentimental about the past year of service. This end of term is especially nostalgic for me as I complete a two year chapter with the Apple Corps program. So, in honor of the amazing community I have had the chance to work with and all that they have taught me, here’s a little Throwback Thursday!

All year long, students at Emerson Elementary, the site school where I have taught nutrition education, have been exploring their role as Earth Stewards through a school-wide lunchroom composting initiative co-led by myself, and our fellow Apple Corps Member, Randa who served as the Active Play Coordinator. Together, we developed a student-led “Compost Hero” lunchroom monitor program that was able to engaged every student at each grade level. In addition, we held several health promotions throughout the year that allowed students to understand the close connection between environmental and personal health!

Students at Emerson embraced the title of “Compost Hero” with their fearless leader, Ms. Randa, a fellow Apple Corps Member (pictured top center)

One such promotion was our Earth Day: Caught Green Handed Celebration, which challenged students to do good deeds for the earth and identify the ripple effects those acts have on their community. Students enjoyed posing in our “Caught” picture frame and having their photos displayed proudly throughout the school hallways.

Students turning compost into our school garden beds.

The year ended strong with a final school-wide competition that pitted primary grade levels (Kindergarten, First, and Second) against the intermediate grade levels (Third, Fourth, and Fifth) in a Food Waste Challenge similar to the promotion held at Concord Elementary (see link). The challenge was a great way to wrap up a year of compost education and stimulated great conversation among students about how important reducing food waste is for both our bodies and our earth, despite having a fantastic alternative waste deposit system. Paired with quality time in the garden and hands on worm explorations our final week of composting was nothing short of fantastic!

A group of students deeply engrossed in their worm exploration!

Great job, Emerson Eagles!