Durham charter school, Reaching All Minds Academy, celebrates Earth Day

DURHAM, N.C. (WTVD) -- Earth Day is a big deal at Reaching All Minds Academy in Durham. It's a STEM based charter school where students learn more about sustainability and being good stewards of the environment.

Students, staff, and administrators celebrated this year's Earth Day with fun-filled activities that centered around recycling and recreating products from reusing material..

Students hosted a clothing swap, planted flowers in the community garden, and made musical instruments out of recycled material.

The middle school students also learned to make perfume by using the oils found in flower petals.

"Across-the-board we are focused on making sure we use our resources as well teach our kids how to be sustainable not only environmentally, but also but also financially and through life," said Natasha Wayne, Director of Operations and Community Engagement at Reaching All Minds Academy.

The K-8 charter school starts teaching agricultural courses to students as early as kindergarten.

Eyewitness News sat down with a group of third grade students who embraced the learning lessons in Earth Day and plan to make changes.

"What I'm going to do is start recycling stuff. Sometimes you can reuse shirts, you can use bags, bottles and everything," said Abigail Chavez

My room I'm going to clean it more and I'm.gojng to use the same bag over over and over , " continued Ivette Vazqueus

And Ruth Par also plans to make changes. "I'm going to ask my cousins, my family to pick more trash up to make the earth more cleaner ." .

Earth Day continued with a weather station presentation. Also, 4000 ladybugs were released to act as a natural pesticide in one of the schools community gardens.