At Hawthorne Elementary School
Youth “work” for Earth Day
classroom hangs a graph entitled “Service Project: Trash Pick-up.” The graph charts the amount of garbage her students collect during the course of a
school year. So far, they have rid their neighborhood of 18 pounds of litter and they were on their way to adding more as they headed out to pick up trash
along Starkweather Creek during Hawthorne’s Earth Day celebration.
    “We collect garbage at least once a week in the warm months,” Covey said.
    It was clear that her students were familiar with the process as they donned raincoats and rubber gloves (below), grabbed their recycled trash bags, and
headed out the school’s side door on their mission to clean up their neighborhood. Even though the sky threatened rain, the student’s excitement was
palpable as they skipped out under gray clouds. It was evident; they were proud of their mission.
    For 6-year-old Matthew the reason they regularly head out to pick up trash is very simple. “We don’t want to see trash all over the world,” he said. He also
proudly pointed out that he picks up garbage, even when it’s not on the classroom agenda. “I once saw a fork on the ground at recess and I took it to the
garbage,” he said.
    Another 1st grader whispered, with wide eyes, “I once saw a guy littering.” Littering is not an option in this classroom.
    Covey, a lover of the outdoors, strongly believes that children need plenty of time outside and also feels they need to be taught the importance of
community service through action.
    “My favorite place to be is outside and I want my children to appreciate the outdoors,” she said. “I also want the kids to feel that they are giving back to
their community. I believe that we should always be serving our community.”
    Covey isn’t the only teacher at Hawthorne who is encouraging students to “go green.” A 4/5 teacher at Hawthorne merged math and science lessons to
create an Energy Club that teaches students the importance of conserving energy. Students even rate individual Hawthorne classrooms on how they are
doing when it comes to their energy use. A number of classrooms also have garden plots outside to grow varying vegetables and plants in Hawthorne’s lawn.
Covey started Hawthorne’s Earth Day/Youth Service Day celebration in 2001 for first grade students. Since then, the celebration has spread school-wide and
students are learning first-hand what they can do to make a difference.
    Earth Day (April 22) was first observed globally in 1970 when Wisconsin U.S. Senator Gaylord Nelson called for an environmental teach-in day  in
response to a growing concern about environmental degradation. Today, nearly 200 countries and millions around the globe observe Earth Day.
Global Youth Service Day takes place each April over the course of a weekend. This year, Global Youth Service Day was recognized on April 25-27.
Celebrated in over 100 countries across the globe, youth organize community service projects on Youth Service Day weekend to address local needs.
Hawthorne students were taught hands-on
lessons in what it means to serve the
community and “go green.”
by Laura Salinger

    Hawthorne Elementary School on Madison’s near east side celebrated Earth Day and Youth Service Day
on April 18. Students performed various service projects in their school’s neighborhood, from working in
classroom garden plots to picking up trash. These Hawthorne students were taught hands-on lessons in what it
means to serve the community and “go green.” They ended their day of hard work with open-mic student
performances-including songs, skits, and poems-next to the school’s gardens.
    While the one-day event was meant to familiarize students with the principles of Earth Day and promote
service to the community, these are lessons that some Hawthorne teachers believe are worthy of much more
than just one day.    
    As the popular notion of “going green” sweeps the nation, Hawthorne Elementary School is leading the
way among Madison schools by promoting green principles and practices. Thanks to a core group of teachers
at Hawthorne who incorporate earth-friendly and service-learning lessons into their regular curriculum,
students at Hawthorne are learning, from an early age, the importance of community service and protecting
their Earth.
    First grade teacher Amy Covey (who co-coordinates the Earth Day/Youth Service Day celebration at
Hawthorne) is devoted to teaching her youngsters hands-on lessons in protecting their earth. On the wall in her