Salisbury Academy celebrates sustainability with hands-on Earth Day Fair
Published 12:00 am Thursday, April 24, 2025
Students identified and had an opportunity to create their own animal tracks in an exhibit led by Lisa Pope of Catawba College and her students at the Salisbury Academy Earth Day Fair. - Submitted
Eighth grade student Lucas Oden displays a beetle at an insect discovery station at the Salisbury Academy Earth Day Fair. - Submitted
Aaron Kepley, director of the Rowan Museum, leads an interactive demonstration of what sustainable living was like for the Native Peoples of the North Carolina Piedmont. - Submitted
Salisbury Academy students smile with plaster casts of animal tracks, one of their rotations in an engaging morning at the school’s Earth Day Fair, one of many avenues through which Salisbury Academy encourages a deep and lasting connection between students and their environment. - Submitted
Salisbury Academy News Service
SALISBURY — Salisbury Academy recently welcomed its students in 3K through eighth grade to a vibrant Earth Day Fair in partnership with Catawba College and the Rowan Museum, highlighting their commitment to environmental stewardship and experiential learning.
Students in grades 1 through 8 engaged in an enriching rotation of hands-on activities designed and led collaboratively by Catawba faculty and students and representatives from the Rowan Museum. Interactive stations included solar oven cooking, bird feeder crafting, recycled art creation and close-up explorations of live insects. Students also learned how to track animal prints, explored sustainable living practices of Native Peoples of the North Carolina Piedmont and discovered how fabric can be made from eco-friendly, natural materials.
Meanwhile, younger learners — 3K, junior kindergarten and kindergarten students — dug into age-appropriate sustainability lessons by making seed bombs, playing an ocean pollution cleanup game and crafting recycled bunny art.
“Watching the students light up with curiosity and connection at every station was truly education at its most impactful — joyful, meaningful and real, ”said Kyle Whisenant, director of teaching and learning at Salisbury Academy. “This Earth Day event not only expanded students’ knowledge of sustainability and science — it fostered curiosity and compassion for our planet.”
The Earth Day Fair is a natural extension of Salisbury Academy’s identity as a U.S. Department of Education Green Ribbon School and a ForestSmart School of Excellence. Through these initiatives, the school emphasizes a deep and lasting connection between students and their environment.
The collaboration with Catawba College added depth and energy to the event. “It was such a joy to work with the Salisbury Academy team to design outdoor environmental learning experiences that were both educational and exciting,” said Lisa Pope, environmental instructor and ForestSmart Schools coordinator for Catawba College. “These experiences foster environmental literacy and a deeper connection to the environment. The students’ enthusiasm and creativity were infectious — it was a day filled with active discovery and smiles.”
As an independent school serving students in 3K through 12th grade, Salisbury Academy remains dedicated to providing whole-child education rooted in values, rich in experiential learning, and deeply connected to community.
