Upper school online classes canceled tomorrow for 50th annual Earth Day

A+poster+describing+the+daily+challenges+for+each+day+of+Earth+Week.+%E2%80%9CWe+wanted+to+still+be+as+engaging+as+possible+this+week%2C+even+if+it+wasn%E2%80%99t+in+person%2C%E2%80%9D+upper+school+Green+Team+President+Anvi+Banga+%2812%29+said.+%E2%80%9CTake+advantage+of+tomorrow%2C+because+it%E2%80%99s+not+every+day+that+we+get+to+celebrate+the+50th+anniversary+of+Earth+Day.%E2%80%9D+%0A

Provided by Anvi Banga/Natasha Yen

A poster describing the daily challenges for each day of Earth Week. “We wanted to still be as engaging as possible this week, even if it wasn’t in person,” upper school Green Team President Anvi Banga (12) said. “Take advantage of tomorrow, because it’s not every day that we get to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Earth Day.”

by Aditya Singhvi and Arya Maheshwari

All upper school online classes will be canceled tomorrow in observance of the 50th annual Earth Day following a virtual webinar at 9:30 a.m., giving members of the community a chance to unplug and spend time outdoors.

No classes will be held tomorrow, skipping periods five, six and seven. Classes will resume following a regular C-day schedule on Thursday.

The webinar, scheduled to last about 45 minutes over Zoom, will feature speaker Michael Doshi, who will address the problem of plastic pollution in oceans.

“[Doshi] was one of the organizers of [the Youth Summit on Plastic Pollution], and we met him there. He was a really motivational speaker, and we thought what he had to say was really cool, so we invited him to come talk,” upper school Green Team President Anvi Banga (12) said.

Students are encouraged to unplug from their electronics for the remainder of the day, participating in activities such as journaling, hiking, gardening and recycling. A full list of activities, compiled by the upper and middle school Green Teams, can be found here, as well as descriptions of the daily Earth Week challenges, which are Meatless Monday, Gardening Tuesday, Disconnect Wednesday, Thirsty Thursday and Waste-Free Friday. 

“We wanted to still be as engaging as possible this week, even if it wasn’t in person,” Anvi said. “Take advantage of tomorrow, because it’s not every day that we get to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Earth Day.”