By: Annie Mott '16
When April rolls around, everyone on the Severn campus is excited about two things: warm weather, and Prom (and, if you're a senior, the fact that this is your last month of high school -- ever). With flowers blooming and prom dress registries booming, the last thing on anyone's mind is Wednesday, April 22nd. Or, as it is more widely known, Earth Day.
Earth Day, born out of a response to a ravaging oil spill in 1969 in California, has been a remarkable testament to the changing attitude towards the environment in the last 50 years. Just five decades ago, we Americans were sucking up lead gas like we were dehydrated marathoners, pouring smoke into the atmosphere from factories with little regard for consequences, and marring the Earth's surface irrevocably with deforestation and displacement of wildlife. Populations of species decreased at a rate never before seen, and to this day 16,928 species are still faced with the threat of extinction, while 785 species are extinct.
Earth Day has come to represent America, and the world as a whole, turning over a new leaf (so to speak) and starting the modern environmental movement.
This year, Severn School is taking full advantage of Earth Day, turning it into an "Earth Week," with a separate activity for each day to make the school more aware of the environment and what is being done to combat the effects of pollution in our ecosystem.
Specific details of each activity will not be revealed until April 10, during a Morning Meeting presentation, but each day will be something new and different than what we have seen in past years.
For those students who have not yet completed their service-learning hours, a service opportunity over that weekend may prove to be exactly what you're looking for.
The Earth Week festivities will prove to be a fun way to celebrate and protect our Earth, as well as a showcase for a new, greener, Severn School.
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By: Annie Mott '16
ARIES: Your mood will change often this week and you will feel unsatisfied. You'll lack consistency in your decisions and projects, and every draft of that essay you have to write seems wrong.
TAURUS: Your mind will be on point this week, answering questions with ease and speed in class. The week will seem to fly by, despite the obvious faulty school day that should have been a snow day.
GEMINI: It is probable that you will slip or fall in the walk between Creeden and the portables at least once this week. You've been unsteady on your feet for awhile and, despite the new boots policy, the winter weather makes walking up a slippery ramp rather difficult.
CANCER: You'll be rather grumpy this entire week-- whether it be from that not-so-great exam grade you just got back or having to continue adjusting to that earlier wake-up call. Being in school while it's snowing doesn't help things, either, but keep your head up and push through.
LEO: You are actually excited to be back in school and to start the new semester. You're so chipper you actually start to irritate your less than positive friends, and the winter wonderland you're in only serves to make you more positive.
VIRGO: You are in the mood for a snowball fight with the weather outside. The last thing you want to do is be in school, and you take full advantage of the freedom they give you and go outside during free period and have a snowball fight.
LIBRA: You are satisfied with your exam grades, and not really stressing about the end of the semester. You are happy to start a new elective and try new things! Even being slightly annoyed at having to drive at 25 miles an hour on the highway cannot get you down.
SCORPIO: Having to drive on the snowy highway, you saw a car accident right in front of you, and it gave you a new outlook on life. You are reminded of your mortality and decide to stop procrastinating and to do the things you want to.
SAGITTARIUS: The winter is your favorite season! You can't wait to get out of school, unfortunately, at the regular time, but you can't wait to get your sled out and go down that big hill in your neighborhood.
CAPRICORN: You probably aren't feeling quite a hundred percent today. The winter cold has given you a stuffy nose and a cough that you can't quite seem to shake. Take some cold medicine, and chances are you won't have to miss too much school.
AQUARIUS: Winter is just not your season. You'd much rather be on a beach on summer break than in a winter coat not having a snow day. The weekend can't come quick enough, and you are looking forward to sleeping in Saturday morning.
PISCES: Nothing can get to you this week. You had a pleasant winter break and are recharged and ready for the new semester. You don't even have trouble getting up in the morning without a delay and not even a half hour of traffic can get in your way.
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