After a one-year hiatus, the Storm King School Community took a day off from classes to help the Earth, share their cultures, and fight off the winter blues at dual celebration of Earth Day and Global Community Day. On Friday, April 23, 2021, students, faculty, and staff came together with clear skies, warm sunshine, and our beautiful campus as the backdrop for a day full of activities, food, and fun.
In the morning, students were focused on giving something back to the Earth by volunteering for service opportunities on campus and in the local community. Tree planting, greenhouse cleanup, litter pick-up, campus plant species mapping, and reforestation site preparation in Black Rock Forest were only some of the green activities students enjoyed. Many students rolled up their sleeves and helped to paint SKS’ many picnic tables, while others collected and bagged gently used clothing and shoes for the Black Student Union (BSU) annual clothing drive and made advocacy posters to commemorate Earth Day.
A highlight of the day was Chef Andrew’s ‘global lunch’ featuring a wide a variety of delicious courses from different regions of the world including Spanish-style paella, Aloo kofta from Bangladesh, Samosas from Ethiopia, lamb kofta and falafel from the Middle East, Chinese Mapo tofu, and Japanese-inspired Chicken Yakitori.
After lunch, the cultural fun at Orr Commons kicked off with an international flag parade on Ledoux Terrace. During the parade, all nations represented at Storm King waved their national flags proudly while the national anthems of each country played under the gazebo. Throughout the afternoon, students participated in various cultural activities stationed around campus. In the dining hall, students created a colorful sand mandala, sampled Turkish Delight and Turkish coffee, and learned Origami, crocheting, and face painting. In the gym, some played ping-pong while others did Yoga on the tennis courts and played volleyball, badminton, and cornhole on the Bell Tower lawn.
The day culminated in an open-air performance of a selection of songs from Storm King’s upcoming spring musical Godspell followed by a colorful Holi and dance celebration. Holi is a popular ancient Hindu festival, also known as the ‘Festival of Colors,’ and the ‘Festival of Spring.’ The colors bursting in the air mixed with the beat of the music and the laughter of the students was the perfect ending to a perfect day.
Many thanks go out to all of the faculty and staff who worked to make Earth Day and Global Community Day a dual success this year, and to our students who volunteered and participated in the day’s festivities.
To view all the Earth/Global Community Day photos click here:
