This week, Mount Madonna School (MMS) first grade students visited the Waste Education Department at the City of Santa Cruz Resource Recovery Facility, where they learned about papermaking, composting and broader waste-reduction efforts.
This learning-filled field trip is part of first grade’s environmental curriculum.
“It’s my goal that this unit of study, combined with a deepening appreciation for our native animals and the redwood forest ecosystem, will motivate students to take actions that help to take care of the Earth and reduce their impact on it,” commented teacher Cassia Laffin. “They are learning that we all need to be more mindful of not wasting the Earth’s resources, become more conscious of how our food is packaged and make sustainable choices, and learn ways to reduce, reuse, recycle, rot and refuse – at home, at school and in our communities.”
![Mrs. Cassia's First Grade Nest (2023-2024) - 2024-04-15 18.02.10 (cassia)](https://live.mountmadonnaschool.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Mrs.-Cassias-First-Grade-Nest-2023-2024-2024-04-15-18.02.10-cassia-225x300.jpg)
![students holding earthworms](https://live.mountmadonnaschool.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/students-holding-earthworms-225x300.jpg)
![compost discovery](https://live.mountmadonnaschool.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/compost-discovery-768x1024.jpg)