Letters from the Headmaster: Saving the Worms

Dear Princeton Academy Community,

"If you truly love nature, you will find beauty everywhere." - Pablo Picasso

We know that April showers bring May flowers. We also know that April showers bring worms… Lots of worms. After the heavy rains that inaugurated the month of April (our Earth Day month), our wiggly friends emerged from their subterranean habitats to be greeted by none other than our fourth grade boys. As part of their study of natural science, fourth graders spent their morning "saving the worms" that had crawled onto the pavement, placing them in plastic cups to transport them to our Geodesic Dome (home to our year-round vegetable garden and indoor fish pond). Placed into the soil of the GeoDome (as it is called), the worms could then begin the process of vermiculture, producing worm castings to enrich the nutrients of the soil to sustain plant growth.

There is a lot to digest here (no pun intended) related to the intersection of environmental sustainability and our Sacred Heart Goals. Under Goal III, "schools of the Sacred Heart commit themselves to educate to a social awareness that impels to action" - "the school teaches respect for creation and prepares students to be stewards of the earth's resources." For our fourth graders, making the most of a rainy day means saving living creatures and providing them with a safe environment where they can support the growth of new plant life, which in turn sustains further life. Herein early habits and a steward's mindset are fostered: respect, save, nourish, sustain.

"Saving the worms" is a metaphor aptly representative of living our Sacred Heart Goals. An act of this level requires a special demonstration of sensitivity, compassion and care. Imagine the satisfaction that a fourth grade boy feels when he eats basil that his worm helped to fertilize - oh, how the doors of the world are unlocked when that young man understands the power of this natural cycle! The wonder and magic of this type of learning inspires us in our lives. Joyful learning at Princeton Academy means getting your hands dirty for a purpose, and often these learning moments occur at the simplest of times.

Sincerely,

Rik

Alfred (Rik) F. Dugan III

Headmaster