More than 40 students, representing every grade level, participated in the first Saturday Service Day for the 2018-19 school year, held on August 25. The Living Lab’s longest and most vital tradition, Saturday Service Day was spearheaded in 2000 by a small group of AP Environmental Studies (APES) students eager to make lasting change in the world. The monthly tradition has grown to represent every aspect of our O’Dowd community, and continues to sustain the Lab both physically and spiritually.
Special cameo appearances were made by recent alumni Zoey Chan and Connor Tamor of the Class of 2018. Adult volunteers included a motley mix of Living Lab staff, several science teachers, and parents of former and current students.
And wow, did a lot get done! Our chicken coop received a complete clean-out, our compost bins got the full turning treatment, and enough tomatoes were harvested to provide for cafeteria salads and make a bowl of fresh salsa big enough to feed 60. Several of the Lab’s paths were pruned back and tidied for easy strolling, holes were dug for the foundation of a new series of benches in the Butterfly Garden, and the chicken run fence was repaired in spots where a few sneaky chickens made repeated escapes. The fruit orchard benefited from a full eradication of Bristly Ox Tongue, one of the Lab’s most tenacious and invasive weeds. And a huge, wild rose bush, an unwelcome guest and culprit of snagged clothing and many scratches over the years, was triumphantly removed once and for all.
Huge thanks to all who came out to support the flowering of the Living Lab in the coming year, and remember that the Saturday Service Day is open to any and all who are interested in rolling up their sleeves and doing good for the environment on a local scale. Our next date is Saturday, September 29, from 9 a.m.-12 p.m., and we hope to see you there!
Please email livinglab@bishopodowd.org with any thoughts or questions!
