Video:
Transcription:
Announcer: Welcome to Mondays with Maria, presented by Addition Financial Credit Union. Here's OCPS, Superintendent, Dr. Maria Vazquez.
Dr. Maria Vazquez: Hi, everyone. Nancy, today is Earth Day.
Nancy Alvarez: It is.
Dr. Maria Vazquez: Look at you. I love it.
Nancy Alvarez: I know. I planned it. It's very earthy. I found out that the very first Earth Day was observed on this day, back in 1970.
Dr. Maria Vazquez: Wow.
Nancy Alvarez: And since then, earthday.org, as we know, has been mobilizing people to really just be more proactive and protect the planet.
Dr. Maria Vazquez: Here in Orange County, we are doing our part. We have a district-wide initiative that's called Sustainability 2030. The goal is to inspire action among students and staff to improve the environment, make a positive social impact in our community, while also reducing costs to keep the dollars in the classroom.
Nancy Alvarez: And I know there is so much happening in schools. There's recycling programs, school gardens. Yes. We have one at Hillcrest Elementary that we love. Education on water conservation, energy conservation, as well as renewable energy. There's a lot going on.
Dr. Maria Vazquez: And of course, health and wellness is also a focus for us. Take a look at how all of this is working right now in our schools,
Analysse Bobek: We have the garden club. Everything in here is used for purpose. It's edible. We have fruit, vegetables, herbs. And so part of what we wanted to do with the Garden Club is anything that's left over like clippings, instead of throwing them away we want to use them in composting. We also put them with the chickens.
Ellie: We have a coop crew, and that is the club for the chickens. Come on chicken, smile, smile for the good chicken. And we do things like taking out the eggs, three eggs two Easter Eggers and one Orpington. And we get to learn about the chickens. We get to clean out the coop. We get to pick the weeds. We get to plant around the coop, which is quite fun.
Oliver: I like to help them clean up in there. Take care of the eggs. Pretty girl. Come on pretty girl. Because I, I love being outside and taking care of the animals. Hello, look at us. We're hanging out with a chicken.
Analysse Bobek: We have our butterfly club for third grade. Second grade they do recycling. And we are also starting a composting school-wide.
Ellie: I want to help the environment because we live on this, on our planet for free. And it's better to save it than let it go to waste.
Analysse Bobek: If having something as simple as a chicken inspire a kid to want to be a farmer, or to want to be a vet, and if it inspires them to be a little more thoughtful to not only animals in the environment, but to each other, because we want to really focus on not only the curriculum and the agricultural benefits but the social emotional teamwork. Caring about not only yourself, but caring about other people. That's our goal. And we get to achieve that goal by doing all these amazing things.
Dr. Maria Vazquez: It's just amazing what our students are learning and doing to carry with them forever.
Nancy Alvarez: It really is impressive. Let's keep it going. Sustainability 2030.
Dr. Maria Vazquez: Thank you, Nancy, for being here. We will be back next week for another Mondays with Maria. Happy Earth Day
Announcer: Mondays with Maria's. Presented by Addition Financial Credit Union. Count us in for every step of your financial journey. Learn more at Additionfi.com. For more OCPS news and information, visit theslice.ocps.net. I'm your announcer Deivarsi Demezier a senior at Apopka High School. Thanks for watching, and have a great week.