Students Called To Care For The Earth

PORTLAND, Ore. - May 25, 2021 - PRLog -- In his 2015 encyclical letter, Laudato Si, Pope Francis opened an inclusive dialogue with all people about how we are shaping the future of our planet. St. Rose School heeds this call, instilling in students one of its Schoolwide Learning Expectations—to be a globally aware person who reduces, reuses, and recycles the Earth's resources.

In preparation for the school's virtual Earth Day prayer service, students studied the resourcefulness of God's creatures—particularly, how birds create nests out of found materials. Students in grades PK-8 went on to collect manmade materials headed for the landfill to instead create over 200 stunning nests to adorn the school halls. The display became a stark reminder of animals' shrewdness, juxtaposed with the wastefulness of humans.

Pope Francis asks, "What kind of world do we want to leave to those who come after us, to children who are now growing up?" One poem written by St. Rose 8th grader, Rita Tran, and shared at the all-school prayer assembly begs an answer:

Our Earth
Our planet
Our home
The place where we rest, dance and roam
Should not be filled with hate and worry
Likewise should not be filled with trash, dumps and fury
We as a community need to realize
That as allies
We can clean our world up
Because if we don't
We won't be able to call this
Our Earth
Our planet
Or our home,
Anymore

Clearly, the next generation is listening and eagerly awaiting our response.

See the students artwork here: https://youtu.be/3aiHGX-xFhg