On Earth Day, Fay students participated in a day of hands-on environmental learning to deepen their understanding of sustainability and stewardship. Through skills-based workshops, students explored real-world challenges, built practical knowledge, and transformed their ideas into action. The campus was humming with activity as students rolled up their sleeves for beautification and planting projects, cooked with sustainable ingredients, upcycled donated clothing, crafted eco-friendly beauty products, and constructed bat boxes to support local biodiversity. 

Meanwhile, the learning also extended into the surrounding community. Off-campus, students practiced nature photography, volunteered at the Southborough Senior Center, and experienced the intersection of sustainable agriculture and food security by working at a community garden that grows fresh produce for local food banks.

The day was even more impactful thanks to the many alumni, parents, and friends of Fay who served as co-educators and mentors, offering insights into industry-level sustainability, conservation strategies, and environmental leadership.

Mike led a sustainable fashion workshop where students learned how to repurpose leftover fabric into functional items such as pocket squares, while reinforcing principles of reuse and resourcefulness.

Mary shared a hands-on lesson in the work behind local farming at Honey Nut Farms in Hopkinton. The students planted peas, green beans, and potatoes, and they prepared the beds for summer by clearing weeds. Students received a pot, soil, and herb seeds to start their own plants to take with them back to campus.

Miranda brought environmental design to life, sharing her career path and how thoughtful design can shape a more sustainable future.

After discussing the impacts of global warming, Shilpy, who is President of New Bedford Maritime Innovation, guided students through a simulation using the En-ROADS climate simulator to develop a climate policy that would limit global warming to 1.5 degrees centigrade.

Fay alumni Lucky and Reet, along with other St. Mark's students, taught Primary students about microplastics through an activity where they filtered particles from sand.

Susan (mom of Head of Upper School Jake Sumner) brought the wonders of the underground to life for Primary students with a hands-on workshop all about the mighty earthworm. Students discovered the hidden power of these soil superheroes, learning how they aerate soil and transform it into a nutrient-rich foundation for everything we grow.

Students explored sustainable agriculture at nearby Harvey's Farm by touring fields and advanced greenhouses equipped with automated climate controls and water-saving drip irrigation. The tour highlighted real-world farming challenges and innovations, from deer fencing and honeybee pollination to generating solar energy and utilizing the space beneath the panels to grow crops.

Rachel (sister-in-law of faculty member Tony Bator) shared a presentation that drew on her rich background as a graphic designer for National Geographic Kids, as a wildlife conservationist at Irvine Ranch Conservancy in CA, and as a data scientist at the World Resources Institute. After learning about the core principles of effective graphic design, students created their own sustainability-focused infographics.

John introduced Lower School students to Young Voices for the Planet, a series of films featuring student-driven environmental action where young people have advocated for simple changes, such as implementing reusable straws.

Activitas Inc. planners Olivia Messenger and Ben Gleason (brother-in-law to faculty member Lara Gleason) hosted a dynamic workshop for Lower School students. After explaining the eco-friendly principles behind their firm's planning, landscape architecture, and civil engineering work, they challenged students to design their own sustainable outdoor sites.