INSPIRING SUSTAINABLE CHANGE

An Inside Look at the Senior School’s Earth Day Celebrations

Story | Lavanya Mahendrakumar, Grade 11

Photos | Environmental Society Group

We celebrated Earth Day on the 25th of April. This year, we wanted to make the ISB community more involved with Earth Day, so we decided to organize some fun activities for both students and staff.

A few weeks before Earth Day, we gave each department a challenge: they had to find an innovative solution to an environmental problem at school and present their ideas through a video. The department videos were very creative, entertaining, and insightful; students had an opportunity to watch them in their homerooms the week before Earth Day and on the day itself.

We were off timetable for the first two periods on Earth Day. We broke up the day into three sections. Firstly, we had a guest speaker, Alexa Firmenich, from ETH in Zurich to deliver a keynote speech to start us off. She provided us with key insights on climate change and an eye-opening perspective about giving our emotions and thoughts surrounding the climate crisis just as much importance as the facts and figures. Secondly, students returned to their homerooms for the homeroom challenge, something similar to what the teachers had to do the week before Earth Day. Each homeroom received an environmental problem at school and had to record a video with a solution, either as an entire homeroom, or in smaller groups. Finally, along with the help of teachers, staff, and some alumni, we organized workshops such as Nature Photography, Birdhouse Building, Make your Own Body Scrub, etc that students could pick from to attend. The workshops aimed to provide students with some easy tips/ways to live a more sustainable life. Throughout the week, along with the Red Cross group, we also hosted a thrift market to raise money for charity.

Overall, Earth Day this year was a success. A huge thank you to all the staff, alumni, volunteers, and of course, the enthusiasm of the ISB community, which made this possible and successful. We are looking forward to planning an equally enjoyable and informative Earth Day next year!

Rain Or Shine

Students Capture the Magic of Nature in Our Earth Day

Photography Workshop

As part of our Earth Day celebration, we offered a Nature Walk Photography Workshop. Students learned some basic photography techniques and participate in a friendly photo competition.

Despite the rainy weather, the students had a blast exploring the beauty of nature and capturing it through their lenses.

The workshop covered fundamental techniques in photography, such as lighting, composition, and framing. The students were engaged and eager to learn, and it was an incredible experience to see them apply their newfound knowledge in the real world.

We embarked on a peaceful walk through our school’s garden pond and surrounding neighbourhood. The students put their photography skills to the test, capturing breathtaking shots of nature in all its glory. From the tiniest insects to the grandest trees, there was an abundance of subjects to photograph.

We are thrilled to announce that the winner of the photo competition is featured on the cover of this spring issue! Congratulations to the winner, Thomas Meeus, and all the participants for their stunning submissions. It was a magical day filled with nature, photography, and creativity. The finalists were chosen by a panel of judges, including staff and Environmental Society leaders, and the top entries were reviewed by a panel of twenty-six professional photographers. It was an exciting and competitive process, and we were blown away by the talent and creativity of our students. We can’t wait to see what amazing shots they’ll capture in the future!