Earth Day

Wednesday, April 22, 2021
8 a.m. - 1 p.m.
On-Campus

The Gunston School's annual Earth Day celebration focuses on increasing student awareness of the surrounding environment. A wide variety of workshops are available for students to participate in, all geared toward fostering a relationship between students and the environment. Guests from local organizations are invited to spend the day with students and share their knowledge of environmental topics during these workshops. Past Earth Day celebrations have centered around workshops featuring bees, oysters, mushrooms, and road clean-ups, to name a few. An engaging "Earth Day Fair" acts as the finale to this day filled with environmental fun. Students are given the opportunity to explore different sustainable topics featured in each booth, which are student-run.

Earth Day Celebration at Gunston, 2024. Photos by Maren Kneeland '24
Gunston Celebrates Earth Day 2024

Photos by Maren Kneeland ’24, Annabelle Sinatra ’24 and Jess Coner


On Monday, April 22, Gunston celebrated Earth Day. We hosted 12 outside speakers, including our keynote speaker and Chester Riverkeeper Annie Richards ’08. More than 17 students, including members of the Environmental Club, played a leadership role by hosting or helping out with various workshops throughout the day. We even had Evie Hagan ’23, join in the fun for the day! 

“Every year, faculty, students and parent volunteers each step up by leading experiences or workshops. Those activities take planning and coordination and I appreciate all of the support, planning, and everything everyone did to make the day a success,” Said CWS Director Ronnie Vesnaver. 


Sessions:
50 Years of Earth Day: The History of Healing with Abbie Houseknecht ’24 and Trevor Green ’24
Artifact Hunting in the Chesapeake with Chris Cerino
Birding with Jim Wilson, GP’27
Blue Catfish, Invasive Fish with Roxanne Wolf
Environmental Clean-up on the Water with Quinton Ford, P’27
Fisheries Policy in 2024 with Tony Friedrich, P’27
Flower Farming with Lisa and Don Biggar
Invasive Plants in Your Neighborhood with Rowan Lutz ’24
Life of a Tall Ship Captain with Kate Dumhart
Life of a Waterman with Jeff Harrison, P’24
Long-Distance Paddling and Sailing with Tyler Dunlap ’27 and Mike Dunlap, P’24’27
Outdoor Education Major at Salisbury with Christina Harper, P’26
Candle Making with AJ Pesce
Coloring with Critically Endangered Animals with Maria Boone ’27, Natalie Edelen ’27 and April Crandall
Facilities Tour and New Property Tour with John Lewis
Fishing with Ben Dize, Linda Jayne, Mike McFarland, Bennett Wirts ’25, Wylie Keegan ’25 and Grayson Allen ’25.
Nature Hike with Bobby Stephenson and Dr. Ken Wilson
Off-campus walks with Adele Showalter and Dr. Mariah Goodall
Solar photo prints with Jess Coner
Waterfront Sports with Tom Chafey, Natalie Reading, Simon Kelly and Kate Larrimore
Wilderness Skills with Thomas Callahan ’24, Ben Lutz ’24 and Will Freda
Yoga and Meditation with Tammy Boone and Tony D’Antonio
Campus archeology with Mike Kaylor and Mel Skirkanich
Campus garden projects with Avis Wheatly and Emily Coffey
Trail clearing and Invasive Species Removal with Christie Grabis and Josh Breto
Trash Pickups and Recycling with Cam and Juan Angarita