Earth Day in Oceanside

The School 6 Kindergarten Center and Castleton High School offered an educational presentation called “Save the Earth” on April 15, when nearly 20 classes participated in songs, dances and skits to spread awareness and appreciation for the environment.

Started by United States Congressman Gaylord Nelson in 1970, Earth Day is usually celebrated each year on April 22, during the district’s Spring Recess. But Oceanside students celebrated it a week earlier in the School 6 auditorium last Friday — the same day students also planted bushes on school grounds to commemorate the occasion.

“This is our home,” School 6 Principal Rhonda Gelbwasser said to students. “We have to take care of our Earth.”

It was the third year that Castleton and Kindergarten students collaborated on an Earth Day presentation. And this year it started with an opening dance sequence and was followed by a slide show informing the crowd what they could do to preserve the environment, such as recycling items, reusing items and reducing on waste.

Afterwards, additional classes followed with their own projects, skits and dance and song sequences. A recycled dollhouse made from orange juice and milk cartons was featured on stage toward the end of the presentation, and was perhaps the most appealing visually.

The hour-long presentation concluded with a trio of songs: “We’ve Got the Whole World,” “I’ve Been Working on Recycling” and “This Land is Your Land” galvanized the crowd.

“Everyone here has worked very hard,” said Gelbwasser of the presentation. “I am so proud of every class and every teacher. They’ve done an unbelievable job.”

The Earth Day efforts will continue at other elementary schools in the district next week. Students will plant trees and bushes provided by the Board of Education on school grounds on April 27 to mark Earth Day this year.