Alexandria, VA, April 18, 2022 – Hollin Meadows Elementary School (HMES), with support from the HMES PTA and the Hollin Meadows Partnership for Outdoor Education, will host an Earth Day Celebration and Community Work Day on Saturday, April 23, 2022, from 10:00am to 1:00pm. Typically an annual tradition, this event is resuming after a two-year hiatus due to the covid-19 pandemic. This year, the event will focus on re-connecting with community members—and building excitement around the new outdoor education opportunities that the school will offer this calendar year.
HMES is a Title I school situated in a community that is rich in history, diversity, and talent. With 55% of its K-6th grade students qualifying as economically disadvantaged, HMES actively aims to close the achievement gap for a historically underserved population. HMES embodies the belief that environmental education is vital in that it creates a personal connection with the earth and a commitment to the well-being of all life. The school has had a thriving Outdoor Education Program since 2005 and now offers its students over 20,000 square feet of courtyard garden space, which serves to reinforce core curriculum through experiential and project-based learning modules.
In addition to the school’s Learning Production Garden, which features 21 raised garden beds to grow produce for the school’s cafeteria, HMES will soon install a 24’ x 30’ greenhouse that will allow for year-round outdoor education and expanded production capacity. The greenhouse, once installed later this summer, will increase STEM opportunities and facilitate student interest in sustainable agricultural career paths and topics such as biodiversity, soil and water health, and carbon sequestration.
One of the activities for this year’s Earth Day celebration will be marking off the area for the greenhouse and engaging parents on what they can expect from the new structure. But the Hollin Meadows community and its neighbors will come together to also refresh elements of the Learning Production Garden, Sensory Garden, and Outdoor Classroom. Along with volunteer opportunities for all ages and abilities, there will be food, children’s activities, and a student-led plant sale. Ultimately, the event will be an opportunity for the community to get an inside look at the exciting hands-on learning environment at HMES—and to join in the fun!
To learn more about the HMES Outdoor Education Program, view an overview fact sheet here.
MEDIA CONTACT: Mary-Ellen Kwong; hmespartnership@gmail.com; 321-750-9977
