Eco-Cubs at Mt. Carmel turn ‘Brown’ grant into green results

    On Sept. 10 I had the honor of representing Mount Carmel Academy’s environmental club, Eco-Cubs, at the 2013-14 Brown Foundation Service Learning Event at the Pont­chartrain Center in Kenner.  The Brown Foundation provides funding for groups concerned with improving our local community through a hands-on approach of educational service opportunities for young people. There are always creative and exciting ideas presented to everyone who attends this annual kick-off event.
     Mount Carmel Academy’s environmental club (called Eco-Cubs for our school Cub mascot) – centered on preserving the natural beauty and life of our environment – has been blessed with donations from the Brown Foundation for many years.  I am the Eco-Cubs’ president but have been involved with this club throughout my years at Mount Carmel. All officers, moderators and members truly share a passion for looking for fun, new ways to help our environment and to inspire others to care for our planet.
    Something new this year that the Brown Foundation made possible for Mount Carmel’s environmental club was a campus-wide seed-ball activity.  In this activity, Eco-Cubs members helped the other students and teachers mix clay, compost, water and wildflower seeds to make seed balls. Using seed balls is an easy and clever way to brighten up our Earth without the need for much care or any chemical fertilizers.  Another Mount Carmel activity funded by the Brown Foundation is our annual visit to St. Pius X Catholic School to help the students learn about the importance of the food chain through an interactive owl pellet dissection. After Mount Carmel students give a presentation on the food chain, each St. Pius student is given an owl pellet to dissect. The students always enjoy and are fascinated with the dissection. These fun activities are very popular and grab many people’s attention to learn about helping our environment.
    Hands-on service learning projects such as these not only provide the obvious learning experiences but also teach students additional skills, such as effective teamwork and leadership.  My experience at this year’s Brown Foundation event really motivated me with ideas for environmentally focused service projects for Mount Carmel Academy’s Eco-Cubs, as well as other ideas for getting involved and helping our local community.
    Shannon Richard is a senior at Mount Carmel Academy.