March got off to a great start here at SSG, with a few classes finishing up water quality testing, a final spring restoration planting project (pictured), and we even participated in McKenny Elementary School’s first ever STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) night. However, many know that our biggest event, Student GREEN Congress, happens in March every year, and with the spread of COVID-19 we unfortunately needed to cancel our Student GREEN Congress event for the first time in its 28-year history. Although we didn’t have an opportunity for local students to present their data at The Evergreen State College, we want to acknowledge the hundreds of student delegates who put so much time and effort into their water quality testing and presentations. I was fortunate enough to see some of these great presentations, and am constantly inspired by Thurston County youth who care so much about their environment and are ready to take action to improve watershed health. To all these students and their teachers – thank you for all of your great work. Thank you as well to all the amazing volunteers, workshop leaders, and facilitators who had signed up to help with that day. We’re excited to bring back Congress next year!
In the meantime, with local schools closed, we want to urge students to still find ways to go outside and get some fresh air. We have developed a series of watershed-based activities for students to work on – alone or with a parent/guardian – from the comfort of their homes and nearby green spaces. You can follow other students’ projects on social media using the hashtag #GREENfromhome. Keeping active and getting fresh air is very important for keeping healthy during this quarantine, both physically and emotionally. And once schools resume in late April, students will be ready to participate in our nearshore field trips, tentatively scheduled for this May!
Stay safe everyone!
