From April 23 to April 25, the Sacred Heart Greenwich 110-acre campus bloomed with sustainability, stewardship, and student-led innovation during its annual Earth Day celebration. During the all-school celebration, the Environmental Stewardship Committee organized 31 interactive workshops designed to engage students and faculty in protecting and preserving the natural world. These activities provided the school community with valuable lessons in sustainability and creating a more renewable future. Through hands-on demonstrations and dynamic workshops, Sacred Heart students encouraged their peers to adopt ecologically conscious habits and appreciate the environment around them.
Since launching the initiative in 2022, Sacred Heart has made its annual Earth Day celebration a significant event. The multi-day celebration included the Upper School Stewardship Chapel April 23 and the Earth Day Prayer Service April 25. During the Prayer Service, Mrs. Christine Gerrity, Co-Director of College Counseling and College Guidance, presented the Land Acknowledgment Statement, along with Upper and Middle School students who attended the Global Network Summit in October, Mia Ritossa ’26, Olivia Franco ’27, Caroline Gammon ’26, Claire Ryan ’29, Elizabeth Ryan ’29, Olivia Broughton ’29, and Eliana Antenucci ’29. Ms. Ellyn Stewart, Director of Media Studies, also attended the Network Summit. She discussed her experience attending the Summit, and how it encouraged students to seek initiatives in sustainability.
“Annie Slocum ’26, Andrea Garza ’25, a senior at Duchesne Academy of the Sacred Heart in Houston, and I presented about sustainability at the international Sacred Heart Summit in Chicago last October,” Ms. Stewart said. “One of the outcomes of our presentation was the formation of the Student Sustainability Committee (SSC) inspired by Andrea Garza’s vision. The SSC is an environmental club which strives to bring together like-minded students who are passionate about making an impactful change through education, sustainable projects, and through sharing resources within the Network of the Sacred Heart.”
Sacred Heart hosted the Network Sustainability Summit April 25, welcoming Ms. Sheila Haggas, Executive Director of the Network of Sacred Heart Schools, and Ms. Amanda Codina, Director of Student Programs & Special Initiatives for the Network of Sacred Heart Schools, to visit the campus. Students from Stuart Country Day School of the Sacred Heart in Princeton, New Jersey, and St. Philomena School of the Sacred Heart in Portsmouth, Rhode Island, also participated. Together, the three Network schools collaborated on a “Goal III, Criterion IV Sustainability Project” guided by the Sacred Heart Goals and Criteria, extending the Network-wide commitment to service and sustainability. Ms. Stewart serves as a Faculty Advisor for the Sustainability Club and spearheaded the organization of the Earth Day celebration among other faculty members. She commented on how she thought the Network Sustainability Summit would benefit the Sacred Heart community, prior to the event, both now and in the future.
“I hope that the Network Sustainability Summit will benefit the Sacred Heart community by building connections around our shared commitment to stewardship of our earth’s resources,” Ms. Stewart said. “When students work together across Network schools, there are exciting opportunities for collaboration and making a difference not just at a local level, but a global level.”
Earth Week events focused on conservation, education, and appreciation for nature. Students and faculty led workshops April 25 such as birdhouse-making, gardening, yoga, and watercoloring. These activities allowed participants to reflect on their environmental impact while engaging in mindful, calming practices. One workshop was a nature-themed scavenger hunt designed for Lower and Middle school students. Sophomores Izzy Nedder and Olivia Morris led this workshop, teaching Lower and Middle School students to connect with the natural world through exploration. Izzy, a member of both the Sustainability Club and the SSC, commented on her personal commitment to preserving the environment.
“What drew me to the Sustainability Club was a desire to better the beautiful land which our school is lucky to occupy, ” Izzy said. “I have always enjoyed the outdoors and grew up gardening and tending to my chickens, so the opportunity to be involved with such things on a larger scale was a no brainer. I enjoy the club’s mission to utilize, and educate others about the earth, and the schools partnership with the Audubon Society, the beehives, and the garden all really sparked my interest.”
Seniors Hunter Nigey and Ellie Dodman, club heads of the Sustainability Club, hosted a watercolor painting station in front of the school’s aquarium. This activity encouraged students and faculty to learn about the skills of observation, as well as hone their creative expression. Ellie commented on how the Sustainability Club celebrates Earth Day and why the sustainability movement resonated with her.
“This year, the Sustainability Club has been planning out Earth [D]ay to make it fun and engaging,” Ellie said. “We have planned student-run and teacher-run workshops of all kinds to educate the community on important sustainable matters. Additionally, we planned a Chapel to help students recognize the beauty of God’s creations. I feel that being apart of the Sustainability Club is important because I want to learn more about how our community can take part in initiatives to make our campus more sustainable and manage our ecological footprints.”
Featured Image by Michaela White ’26
