Linda Clarke-Tucker, Ministry Lead and Science Educator/STEAM Coordinator at Mother Seton Academy in Baltimore, MD, sends us this update.
In accordance with Pope Francis' mandate of Laudati Si', Mother Seton Academy has adopted some initiatives in an effort to teach our students to be better stewards of the planet. Our Green Team Initiatives began in the Spring of 2023.
We kicked off the initiatives with a community clean-up and planting at our neighborhood "pocket park" located across from the school. This school year, we have developed "green teams" that have gone out bi-weekly to pick up trash at the park and in the surrounding area of the school, stretching three blocks. I was overwhelmed with the response from students when I put out the information regarding joining the green team. We have had 36 of the 80 students in the school sign up to be part of the six-student teams to go out and beautify the area.
Students are learning about the environment and the threats of climate change in their science classes and are taking that information and applying it to their everyday situations, which are dirty neighborhoods with not much green space. The students hope that their efforts will foster a spirit of hope in the community and encourage the adults to maintain the area along with them.
Upcoming Green Initiatives include personalized reusable water bottles, recycling lunch trays and paper, and composting food scraps.
Mother Seton Academy is a tuition-free, independent Catholic Middle School in Baltimore City. Mother Seton Academy serves over 80 boys and girls, grades 6 through 8, from underserved, low-income families of all faiths and cultures. Over three years, our students advance academically, explore their interests, and acquire life skills. They participate in sports, clubs, and community service and find ways to express themselves through art and music. The values our students develop at Mother Seton Academy guide their choices, actions, and decisions into the future.
Through a comprehensive Graduate Support Program, our students graduate to quality high schools and then matriculate to colleges or universities. In partnership with our families, Mother Seton Academy is committed to each student's total development—academic, social, physical, spiritual, and emotional—by emphasizing serious study and personal responsibility.
Empowered by Gospel values and rooted in the tradition of Catholic Education, Mother Seton Academy educates those with the greatest economic need in a multicultural environment. Promoting dignity and respect for each person, Mother Seton Academy challenges its students to realize their God-given talents and become leaders who serve their families, communities, and society.
The school was founded by six congregations: The School Sisters of Notre Dame, the Marianists, The Sisters of St Frances, Philadelphia, The Xaverian Brothers, the Daughters of Charity, and the Sisters Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary.
