There’s nothing quite like a day of sunshine, science, and adventure! That’s exactly what McNary Heights students experienced on April 24, 2025, during their annual Earth Day trip to the McNary Nature Trails and Dam.
Each grade, from kindergarten through fifth, spent the day walking the trails, visiting the fish viewing room, and touring the dam. Throughout the day, classes rotated through various stations designed to teach students more about the environment. Many of these stations were led by Umatilla High School students, with presentations covering topics like pollution, photosynthesis, solar energy, and native foods. In total, 80 high school students helped lead the presentations, ensuring each class was able to visit at least three stations.
In addition to the student-led presentations, there were guests from the US Army Corps of Engineers, the City of Umatilla, and McNary Heights’ own Nutrition Educator.
Nutrition Educator Lourdes, led a smoothie-making presentation in partnership with the OSU’s Extension Service. Students made a fruit smoothie, but with a twist. To blend it, they used a “smoothie bike,” a stationary bike equipped with a pedal-powered blender. Each student took a turn pedaling to blend the ingredients together.
One high school-led station focused on solar energy and gave the elementary students the opportunity to build solar ovens to cook s’mores.
In every presentation, students learned something new and took part in a hands-on activity to go along with what they learned. Exploring the nature trails and participating in fun, meaningful activities is what makes Earth Day a favorite for many at McNary Heights.
“Earth day is one of the biggest events of the year. The kids really enjoy learning during the trip and connecting with their teachers and paras outside of the classroom,” said event organizer Melanie Johnston.
Many parents also joined in on the fun. This year, over 200 parents attended and spent the day with their student’s class.
“Parent involvement is really huge for this event, and it’s awesome how many parents volunteer,” Johnston added.
Putting this day together is a team effort. The Earth Day Committee at MHES, led by Johnston, coordinates with law enforcement, park rangers, Desert Springs, school district maintenance staff, and teachers at Umatilla High School.
Desert Springs donates water each year to help keep students hydrated. The school district maintenance crew assists with setting up stations throughout the trails. High school teachers have their students prepare presentations as part of their classwork. This year, both Mrs. Ayuso’s science classes and Mrs. Fritz’s FCCLA classes created presentations for Earth Day.
Earth Day has been a McNary school-wide tradition for 26 years. It began in 1997 when teacher Scott Smith took just his class to the trails. By 1999, the entire school began attending. Smith and Laura Broderick led the event in its early years, and Karen Sheller carried it forward for 15 more. Today, Melanie Johnston continues the tradition, ensuring every student at McNary Heights gets to experience science in the great outdoors.
We’re thankful for all the staff who help make this event possible and for those who have helped keep this tradition alive over the years.
View more photos of Earth Day by using the following link: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1NF_A-2gbmUc9fvd1gCFJ0XclwWErVOyq?usp=sharing