Students celebrate Earth Week

Earth Week is annually a time to celebrate the planet as well as an opportunity to give back.

Students at Lake City High School formed an Earth Week Committee to set up informational booths in the school's commons to help share the message of caring for the earth and environment.

“Just having these little things gets people not only excited for Earth Day but excited for spring in general, everyone’s just excited about the coming months,” Junior Class President Jami Williams said Thursday, April 23.

Festivities fell throughout a week of testing and ASB elections, offering a reprieve from study time.

“Having this in the middle of all that is honestly a breath of fresh air,” Jami said.

Asa Sutton, senior class spirit leader and chair for the Earth Week Committee, sold zinnias in compostable pots for $1 each.

“At my house, my mom plants zinnias in our garden," Asa said. "I think they’re just the prettiest flowers.”

Funds from the sales went back to the Lake City Student Council and will help with 2026 prom.

“Earth Week and prom have been my main two focuses, so it’s been pretty exciting that I get to use Earth Week to help out prom too," Asa said.

Information at one table highlighted the Outdoors Studies Program, in which Asa participated as a junior. She said this program helped her realize what she wants to do after graduation.

“Being able to do this one field trip to Corbin Park, we did water quality testing, we got to see which different insects are in the water. It really just lit a passion for me for ecology and environmental science," she said. "I just want more people to know about this program because I had no clue what it was. It genuinely was one of the best experiences for all of high school.”

Recognizing Earth Week is important, Asa said.

“This is the only planet that we have,” she said. “This is the Goldilocks planet. Our planet is so beautiful and so perfect. We need to work to keep it that way and care for it because it’s given so much to us. We need to give back to it."

Jan Moseley, secretary for the Friends of Tubbs Hill nonprofit, shared stickers, books and pamphlets about Coeur d'Alene's beloved natural park. Friends of Tubbs Hill educates people about how to care for Tubbs and keep it a great place for everyone to enjoy.

“Tubbs Hill is near and dear to my heart, and I think Coeur d’Alene wouldn’t be the same town without it,” Moseley said. “Taking care of it is really important. We like to say that people love Tubbs, but they’re almost loving it to death."

The week concluded with students from Lake City and Coeur d'Alene high schools participating in an Earth Day trail cleanup at Couger Bay with members of the Idaho Trails Association.

They cut trees fallen trees and removed overgrown brush from the trails.

"I think bringing these groups in for Earth Week was a great way to get the students thinking about all things outdoors, the earth and wanting to do something specifically because it was Earth Week," Idaho Trails Association North Idaho program coordinator Barbara Sammut said Tuesday.

The association is currently growing its youth program, offering projects for students ages 14-18.

Sammut said one of the students who helped at Cougar Bay had never been on a trail-clearing project but all who contributed thoroughly enjoyed it.

"I'm glad that students felt that they wanted to try something out like this," she said. "This was an avenue to have them thinking about their impact on the community and the trails we enjoy."

The Idaho Trails Association is seeking volunteers for a five-day youth project from Aug. 19-23 at Halsey Creek and Magee Cabin in the Idaho Panhandle National Forest. Visit idahotrailsassociation.org/event/2026-halsey-creek-youth for info.

    Asa Sutton, senior class spirit leader and chair for the Lake City High School Earth Week Committee, discusses how compostable pots were used to plant zinnia seeds that were sold for $1 each Thursday, April 23 during the school's Earth Week festivities.