At Mount Vernon, Earth Day is more than a moment—it’s a meaningful opportunity to come together as a community and celebrate our planet through action, reflection, and learning. This year, our students, faculty, and staff joined in a variety of experiences across each division designed to deepen our connection to the environment and inspire future-focused change. Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) priorities are embedded in our strategic plan, specifically within Target 4, which challenges us to cultivate an inclusive and regenerative school culture—one where honoring the Earth is intentional and impactful.
Lower School: Growing Green, One Seedling at a Time
The Lower School’s celebration of Earth Day began with a special visit from WestRock, a leading sustainable packaging company and valued Mount Vernon partner. Alumna Maddy Long, Class of 2019, helped to establish the partnership between Lower School and WestRock when leaders came last year to teach students how paper is made, how it can be recycled up to seven times, and why responsible forestry is essential to our planet’s future. Each class then gathered in the gym to receive a seedling, scoop soil into a recycled paper pot, and plant a tree they could take home, creating a tangible connection between what they learned and what they could grow.
Tree Club members welcomed their peers with pride, kicking off a festive celebration that included reciting a poem about how everyone can protect the earth. By partnering with WestRock for the second consecutive year, Mount Vernon continues to reinforce real-world environmental solutions through student learning.
In Kindergarten, Earth Day intersected with a powerful PBL unit, which centers around answering the question: How might we create an immersive experience for someone moving to a new ecosystem? Students transformed their classrooms into environments like the rainforest, desert, and grasslands, complete with a parent showcase and puppet show created with the help of Ms. Bruno. The experience deepened students’ understanding of Earth’s diversity while highlighting the importance of conservation.
Middle School: Designing with Purpose
Our sixth-grade students are deep into a dynamic project-based learning experience: How Might We Design a Sustainable City of the Future? After completing the Discover phase—filled with expert interviews, guided research, and an expedition to explore smart city innovations at Peachtree Corners’ Curiosity Lab — students are now preparing to design their own future-forward cities. With insights from planners, architects, and sustainability professionals, including a visit from the City of Sandy Springs Planning Department, students explored real-world challenges and opportunities related to urban development, infrastructure, and green design. On Earth Day, the Sustainability Program Manager from Dunedin, Florida, answered student questions about their ideas for city design. Up next: they’ll take what they’ve learned to define problems, propose innovative solutions, and create blueprints for cities that prioritize people, planet, and progress. They will share their plans and prototypes at a Mock Future Cities Summit on May 19.
Upper School: Leading the Way Through Action
In the Upper School, Earth Day is a launching pad for student leadership and service. This year, students are partnering with a nonprofit founded by Mount Vernon junior Oliver Membrillo to host a community-wide environmental cleanup. This act of service reflects a broader commitment by the Upper School Sustainability Committee, led by Senior Beau Reinking, which has spent the year focusing on institutional habits, from recycling initiatives to measurable energy conservation goals.
Building on the momentum of last year’s efforts, the committee is setting the stage for Mount Vernon’s sustainability future, including the upcoming announcement of a Sustainability Prefect, at the annual Upper School honors ceremony. The Sustainability Prefect is a student leader who will champion eco-conscious practices across campus. As returning committee members prepare to continue their efforts next year, they’re ensuring that the culture of sustainability deepens with each generation of students.
Now more than ever, students across every grade are seeing themselves as stewards of the planet. At Mount Vernon, Earth Day isn’t a standalone celebration—it’s a catalyst. Through meaningful partnerships, immersive learning experiences, and student-led action, we’re cultivating a generation of innovators who view sustainability not as a trend, but as a calling. According to a 2023 Pew Research Center study, 71% of Gen Z say climate change should be a top priority to ensure a sustainable planet. And coming right behind them, 81% of Generation Alpha kids say they care deeply about the environment and want to take action to protect it (Wunderman Thompson Intelligence, 2022). As our students reduce, reuse, and recycle, they’re also learning to lead, design, and ignite real-world change. Because protecting the Earth isn’t a once-a-year observance—it’s a daily mission. And it starts right here.
