On Tuesday, April 22, the Social and Environmental Academy Dedicated to Improving School and Community (SEA-DISC) hosted its annual Earth Day event during lunch. To accommodate the event, the school extended lunch break from 40 minutes to an hour, attracting students and staff. The celebration offered several student-run and organization-run booths, located in the main quad, all of which focused on different environmental issues.
SEA-DISC is one of the three upperclassmen academies at Archie Williams and offers courses focused on environmentalism. It consists of several classes taken over two years, including U.S. History, Economics, U.S. Government, AP Environmental Science, Chemistry, and Workplace Learning—a course that includes environmental internships and project planning during school hours. The classes emphasize project-based learning, with students taking on creek restoration projects, conducting research, and more.
First celebrated in 1970, Earth Day is an annual celebration aimed at raising awareness for environmental protection. Although it is not a federal holiday, SEA-DISC aims to continue Earth Day’s legacy through events like this. SEA-DISC social studies teacher Michael Rawlins highlights the purpose of the event.
“[The event is] about gratitude, recognizing that the Earth provides us with so much joy and nourishment. [We’re] trying to inspire positive gratitude around the Earth, to try and be a little bit more conscious of how we interact with our ecosystems in the natural world,” Rawlins said.
The booths showcased a variety of environmental topics. Students found the bike-powered smoothie-making booth and the clothing swap booth, which promoted sustainable fashion practices, especially intriguing. One booth, led by SEA-DISC junior Maiya Porter, showcased environmental issues surrounding the Marin Civic Center, a structure designed by Frank Lloyd Wright.
“We’re trying to build awareness about [how we’ve strayed from] Wright’s original plan of having a collaborative ecosystem with the building. There’s a lot of excess nutrients, and that is killing a lot of wildlife like fish… It’s not really how it used to be,” Maiya said.
Local environmental organizations also hosted booths, including Adda Veggies, a plant-based food company whose products are in the Archie Williams cafeteria. Joseph Richards, the Chief Operating Officer of the company, shares how they are implementing their products into school cafeterias.
“Our mission is to serve healthier plant-based food in schools, both for health and environmental reasons… [We were invited here] to showcase some of our products and talk to the students to get them excited about sustainable, plant-based food,” Richards said.
The event also featured activities such as face painting and a performance by Jinx, a student-run band featuring sophomore vocalist Petra Betti, senior vocalist Stella Gregor, junior guitarists Ben Bergen, Finn Gleason, and Mason O’Byrne, and senior drummer Ellis Lynch. Although the band did not perform Earth Day-themed music, Stella believes their presence garnered more interest from the community.
“I think music brings the community together. And I think the more people that are around [can help foster] eco-awareness,” Stella said.
Student attendees, such as freshman Nash Freeman, appreciate the educational and engaging atmosphere of the event.
“[The event] seems to be teaching a lot of people [how to] be greener, and be more conscious of what we’re doing to the world,” Nash said.
As the event came to a close, students and teachers returned to class with a deeper understanding of environmental issues. Through interactive booths, student leadership, and community partnerships, the event inspired attendees to be more mindful of their ecological impact. In the years to come, SEA-DISC hopes to continue this annual tradition and expand its efforts to promote environmental awareness at Archie Williams and throughout the community.
