On April 27, the Elementary School students gathered to learn about Earth Day. They discussed landfills, recycling, composting, and ways to protect the environment.

Social Emotional Learning Coordinator Megan Wahl asked the students how many pounds of garbage they create every day. Guesses ranged from single digits all the way into the hundreds. Wahl revealed the average number as 5 pounds. She then weighed each grade level’s garbage from lunch the previous day, with each grade level average about 15 pounds. The students then thought about how they could produce less garbage at lunch. The students decided to follow these steps: recycle what you can, compost, reduce use of non-recyclable items, and "Actually eat your food".

To highlight this discussion, the student volunteers pulled (clean, bagged) waste items out of a garbage bag and discussed alternate ways to dispose of those items.