At HFCA Many Hands Make Light Work on Earth Day

Holy Family Catholic Academy's nationally certified outdoor classroom makes every day a day to celebrate the great outdoors. Recently, the Inverness school's observation of Earth Day provided a perfect backdrop to remind the almost 500 students that we are all called to work together to be stewards of God's creation.

Thanks to a grant from the Monsanto Fund, HFCA students in 2-year-old preschool through eighth grade worked throughout the day to transform a retention area into a native wetland.

"We were so proud of our students," Principal Kate O'Brien said. "Each class donated time and worked together to plant more than 900 plants to restore a half-acre plot to its natural habitat."

The students' hard work actually allowed the grant money to go further than expected. In addition to the purchase of the wetland plants, the funds were used to advance teacher training to best incorporate the outdoor classroom into the school's STEM curriculum.

By definition, the wetland was perfectly wet and muddy. That did not hinder the students' enthusiasm as they waded in to plant more than 20 varieties of Illinois native plants that had been researched and identified by the third grade classes. Even with tall boots, some of the students got stuck in the muck. Second grade student Colin Bird used his problem solving skills to maneuver himself free.

"As a parent of four boys and former science teacher, I'm so happy my sons attend a school where they are encouraged to problem solve and think beyond reading a chapter in a book," said parent, Katie Bird. "even if it means getting a little dirty!"

HFCA's wetland restoration also caught the attention of the surrounding community. The members of the South Barrington Garden Club visited the school's outdoor classroom and were so impressed that they also donated funds toward the restoration.

"We are happy to support student learning about native plants and the importance of restoring natural habitats," stated the garden club's President, Nancy Ebner.

The wetland restoration project actually incorporated many aspects that make HFCA such a unique school. In addition to the outdoor classroom which gives all students access to a living, hands-on laboratory, the project was also aligned with the school's candidacy as an International Baccalaureate World School. Several of HFCA's early childhood classes just completed a unit focusing on ways students can share and protect our planet.

O'Brien summed up the school's Earth Day project by paraphrasing the words of Pope Francis, "On Earth Day and every day, our students, faculty and staff recognize the call to learn, raise awareness, and become responsible stewards of God's creation."

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