NDB offers many leadership opportunities for students to join, including the boards that specialize in integrating the hallmarks in the student body. There are many for students to be part of, such as the Ambassador Board and Hallmarks in Action Board, but none related to the environment.
While there are clubs, such as the Global Awareness Club and Orca Initiative Club, none of these are very large or meet regularly enough to get students involved in helping the environment. Forming a leadership board designated to environmental issues would enhance student participation, rather than having a club for students to join at the beginning of the year and then not show up to meetings for.
President of the Orca Initiative Club Annette Henderson thinks that more people should get involved and that there should be more participation in bettering the environment.
“I think the idea of an environmental board is a great idea to implement at NDB because of the vast amount of environmental concerns. Unless we have people dedicated to spreading awareness about those concerns, many will go unheard. I also think the idea of a more concentrated group will help for clubs that do not get as much attention. So, the concerns of NDB students can be discussed, but at a more dedicated level,” said Henderson.
Several high schools near NDB have environmental clubs that provide students with resources to learn about what is happening with the climate crisis and global environmental issues. Nueva HS, for example, has clubs including the Divestment Club and the Environmental Club, which are both co-lead by senior Alex Wagonfeld. Wagonfeld, along with the rest of the club members, have strong opinions when it comes to the environment and whether or not schools should require students to participate in environmental clubs.
“All environmental clubs come in many different shapes and sizes, and what’s important for one school to focus on might be different from another school in the region. But, considering that climate change is the biggest challenge our generation will face, it’s crucial that all students at their school have access to a like-minded community of those who care deeply about our planet and want to take action to create change,” said Wagonfeld.
While it is very important to help student life with the boards that NDB currently offers, it is also important to help the environment that the students are in by providing more opportunities for them to learn about climate change.
Students at NDB struggle to even clean up their plates at lunch. There will often be an email sent out to the entire school with photos of the Father Downey Garden littered in plates after lunch. Some do not seem to care that they are leaving a mess behind them every day at school. So, what does this say about how they treat their environment?
We are not taught specifically about environmental problems in regular classes, so having a board designated for this is crucial to keeping students aware about what is happening in the world. Having active student leaders focus on getting everyone involved in helping the environment would go a long way, not just in our school community, but in other ones as well.
