Sustainability Curriculum
Faculty and staff and students in Nursery to Grade 8 are committed to integrating environmental sustainability into their lives and classrooms, recognizing it as a vital and necessary part of our institutional mission and our School Creed. This commitment is evident in a curriculum that values sustainability. Our youngest students participate in composting and recycling and a celebration of our planet on Nursery School Earth Day.
Students in Kindergarten to Grade 5 learn to love nature through outside play and exploration, as well as through participation in environmentally themed projects such as the Grade 1 farm-to-table unit, the Grade 2 recycling study, the Grade 4 shad restoration project, and the Grade 5 archeological dig.
The interdisciplinary monarch butterfly unit is one of the many highlights of the Grade 1 curriculum, along with our partnership with City Wildlife, which helps our students understand the flora and fauna in our local environment.
The Grade 2 Eco- warriors get a chance each week to learn about sustainable habits from the sustainability director and be an advocate in their classroom. We empower a new set of students each week to lead the class in composting, waste management, energy savings, and more!
On the MacArthur Campus, Grades 6, 7, and 8 students have created an environmental action committee that meets to discuss, implement, and assess sustainability initiatives. Grades 7 and 8 students end their St. Patrick’s careers in a science class with a rich environmental science curriculum focused on solution-based learning and conservation.