With the passing of Apr. 22, comes the end of Earth Day! Earth Day was first celebrated in 1970 to put an environmental policy on the national agenda, especially with the increase of factories. Ever since then, there has been the annual Earth Day celebration.
Millikan did a couple of things to celebrate Earth Day. On Apr. 22, an Earth Day celebration was held on the rally stage during lunch. Millikan’s Environmental Club had a booth with the intention of teaching students how to properly sort waste into trash, recycling, and compost bins. Those who sorted correctly got entered into a raffle for a chance to win a prize.
The second event celebrating Earth Day was the Earth Day Gallery, “Artivism”. The art featured themes of Earth Day and optimism. The gallery was open Apr. 26 and 29 during lunch in room 419 and also on Apr. 25 from 4 p.m.-7 p.m.
“Art teachers gave their students the opportunity to pick a social or environmental issue that they resonate
with, that they feel strongly about. Then they create their artwork around that theme,” says Mrs. Gardea, the teacher of Art 1-2. “The Gallery selects pieces that go in.”
Art included in this gallery includes 2D and 3D art, as well as photography. The purpose of this gallery is to create a stronger sense of community and to spark inspiration within our Millikan students.
“[Our purpose] is sharing different perspectives of a bunch of different artists who come from different backgrounds, and they each get to show what they think of important issues around the world, and that we get to express those views through their art to the rest of the community,” says Jack Towne, a junior in PEACE who helped build the gallery. “It’s important to really spread awareness of issues that people might not know about.”
The Aquarium of the Pacific also held an Earth Day Teen Climate Fest on Apr. 27. During this event there were multiple booths speaking on sustainability and the importance of our planet and what families can do to make a difference.
All these events may have passed, but all of them are annual and you can always look out for them next year. And though Earth Day may have ended, you can still do things that celebrate and take care of the Earth. For example, you can join Millikan’s Environmental Club, volunteer at the Aquarium of the Pacific, or even recycle or compost.
Olivia Hanniff • May 23, 2024 at 12:47 pm
On March 27, 2024, Bhree Walker published and wrote a news article titled, “Earth Day Celebration.” Walker’s article elaborates on Millikan High School and the Aquarium of the Pacific’s contribution to the celebration of Earth Day. The flow of Walker’s piece of writing is very easy to follow. Walker begins with a background on the origin of Earth Day, then she details the events held at Millikan High School and the Aquarium of the Pacific, and ends with a call to action for the audience to contribute to environmental friendly causes. I applaud Walker for adding in a background introduction to the beginning of Earth Day since it gives a definition of a celebration that may not have been well known to the audience. Additionally, I admire how Walker adds two specific events held and Millikan High School and adds in a student quote. This boosts Walker’s credibility since it shows that she did her research on the topic and made the effort to talk to a student at this event. I also applaud Walker for adding in events held at the Aquarium of the Pacific because most people in Long Beach are more familiar with the Aquarium of the Pacific than a specific high school. This broadened Walker’s audience, therefore making her call to action reach a wider range of people. On the other hand, I wish Walker would have added more pictures at one of the specific events to give an image to put in the audience’s minds. Overall, I appreciate Walker’s background, specific details, and flow of her news article.
Chloe Neprud • May 20, 2024 at 5:08 pm
On May 6, 2024, Bhree Walker wrote an article titled “Earth Day Celebration”. I agree that it is important to spread awareness of ways to help the environment, and I think it is nice that Millikan played a part in sharing how to do that. I think having an art gallery show with different works that display students’ perspectives on issues happening globally is a good way to inform people about things they may not know about, and inspire them to try to make a difference. The Environmental Club’s booth that showed students how to sort different kinds of trash into their proper bins was also a good idea. I agree that it is important to make sure that trash that can be recycled is put in the recycling bins so it can be reused, and not end up in a landfill. Outside of Millikan, the Aquarium of the Pacific’s Teen Climate Fest for Earth Day helped inform people about the importance of sustainability, which I think was also a good way to show families how they can preserve natural resources. Overall, I agree that it is important to find ways to help our planet whenever it is possible, even though Earth Day is over.