From learning to leadership: HCS students take action for Earth Day

Schools across the Hampton school division have been hard at work honoring Earth Day—not just through words, but through meaningful action. Staff transformed learning into hands-on, real-world experiences, making environmental stewardship relevant, memorable, and deeply impactful for learners.

 

Hampton City Schools (HCS) was proudly represented at the Earth Day celebration on April 25. Sponsored by Bluebird Gap Farm and the Hampton Clean City Commission, the event featured environmental learning stations and the annual HCS Earth Day Environmental Art Contest. For the third consecutive year, Burbank Elementary School kindergartners and Phenix PreK-8 School Chrome Club members served as ambassadors for HCS, engaging more than 500 participants in hands-on environmental outreach. Under the guidance of Missy Powell-Riedl, teacher at Burbank, kindergarten students helped attendees create bird feeders to take home. The activity connected everyday actions with ways we can support wildlife. Phenix Chrome Club students, led by sponsor Shaye Finney, designed an interactive game highlighting how long different materials take to decompose, encouraging the community to pre-cycle, reuse, and recycle.

 

Creativity also took center stage through the Earth Day Environmental Art Contest. Under the leadership of Cooper Elementary Magnet School for Technology art teacher Matthew Wilcox, and with the support of visual arts teacher specialist Ai Choo Ashe, more than 50 works of original, Earth-inspired artwork were submitted by students in grades K-12. Their pieces celebrated the beauty of our planet, its animals, and the importance of environmentally conscious choices. Sponsored by the Hampton Clean City Commission’s School Pride in Action Committee, the contest continues to inspire young artists to share their voices. Nine students were recognized for having outstanding work: Alex Contreras, 2nd grade, Burbank Elementary School; Cyris Chacanaca, 2nd grade, Kraft Elementary School; Yuleimy Roblero Cruz, 2nd grade, Langley Elementary School; Penelope Hercules; 5th grade, Langley Elementary School; Genesis Miller, 4th grade, Peake Elementary School; Elliana Rebultan, 5th grade, Smith Elementary School; Taliyah Wright, 7th grade, Kilgore Gifted Center; Maria Bebay, 10th grade, Bethel High School; and Anya Ancell, 9th grade, Kecoughtan High School

Beyond the celebration, schools across the division took action through campus cleanups as part of Earth Week, Walk Hampton Clean, and Clean the Bay Day initiatives. These efforts demonstrated that environmental stewardship starts right at home—in schoolyards, playgrounds, and local communities.

 

Nancy Eason and Mike Behan, teachers from Armstrong School for the Arts, earned the proverbial prize for the most impactful cleanup. Over the course of two days, 14 classes (Alison Rhodes, Adauzea Prabhakar, Michelle Bowers, Lindsey Cornell, Eason, Aliza Thurkettle, Tina Becouvarakis, Robin Ward, Behan, Catherine Strand, Erin Mitchell, Jalen Johnson, Shaquanna Byrd, and Frances Marshburn)—more than 300 students—came together to improve their campus. In addition to collecting litter, students and staff beautified the school grounds and removed over 50 bags of gumballs.

 

At Burbank, environmental responsibility is a daily commitment. Fifteen kindergartners in Powell-Riedl’s class collected 145 pieces of trash. Their reflections captured the heart of the work. Burbank student Jalen shared, “If we don't keep the Earth clean then we won't have an Earth,” while another student Mila added, “We need to pick up trash so the animals don’t eat it.”

 

At Kecoughtan High School, 25 students from three clubs joined forces on April 15, collecting 12 bags of litter. Participants included students from the Ecology Club (sponsored by Sally Lewis and Sandra Hooper), Ladies and Gents in the Making (sponsored by Leteashu Jones), and the Crochet Club (sponsored by Karen Chang), demonstrating the power of collaboration across diverse student groups.

 

Under the direction of teachers Michele Ferrel, Gretchen Cary, Krista Jobson, and Paula Larson, 102 fourth-grade students at Kilgore Gifted Center removed 50 grocery-sized bags of litter. Kilgore student Emmabelle reflected on the experience, saying, “Litter pickups are good because they help the environment. Litter pickups are also fun and help you get outdoors more.”

 

At Langley Elementary School, Rachel Hercules organized a cleanup effort supported by kindergarten teachers Lina Fernandez, Chelsea Kyme, and Sashyra Trinidad. Together, they led 32 students in removing four bags of litter from the school grounds.

 

At Moton Early Childhood Center, school counselor Amy Twisdale coordinated a cleanup on March 18, bringing together students from Stephanie Reppert’s, Wendy Dawson’s, and Lindsay Demyan’s classes to collect two bags of trash.

 

On Saturday, May 2, the Spartans in Action Community Service Club, sponsored by Raven Hawkins, participated in an Adopt-A-Spot Staff Cleanup Day. The Spartans cleaned the area from Clemwood Parkway to Willow Oaks Boulevard and collected over 100 cigarette butts, along with cardboard, plastic bottles, and other litter. Staff members who participated included Hawkins, Dominique Coleman, Michelle Coleman, Maurice Horton, Adrienne Jenkins-Butts, and Giselle Winston.

Across Hampton City Schools, these efforts reflect more than participation—they represent a culture of stewardship. Students and staff are not only learning about environmental responsibility; they are living it, leading by example, and making a lasting difference in their community.