HOBART | What do British Petroleum, St. Bridget Catholic School, Hobart Mayor Brian Snedecor and the Lake County Solid Waste Management District  have in common?

The desire to educate students through hands-on activities that encourage them to take care of their environment and their community. All four entities came together this spring to educate and excite St. Bridget students about environmental responsibility.

"This was truly a week of learning and of fun," said Principal Doug Pearson. "One lucky fourth grader even went home with a brand new bicycle."

The effort began during the previous school year when one of St. Bridget's preschool teachers, Monica Barker, began looking for grant money to bolster the school's science curriculum. She reached out to Sandy Purcell, junior high science teacher, and  Chris Duggan, a parent active in the school and parish community.

Together, they pursued a BP A+ for Energy Grant. After months of discussions with students, attending workshops, and many hours writing and rewriting, the trio succeeded in receiving a $5,000 grant. The money was used to purchase science equipment and projects to raise awareness about sustainable and renewable energy and environmental issues.

The idea was not to just celebrate Earth Day, but to celebrate the Earth all week. Within the context of the grant proposal and using free resources available through the Lake County Solid Waste Management District, Barker and Duggan scheduled field trips, an Enviromobile visit, and speakers for St. Bridget students.

On Tuesday, grades 3 through 7 had a visit from the Enviromobile for a presentation on how everyday activities cause pollution and where that pollution goes when it rains. The students also learned about alternate activities that don't cause pollution.

  On Thursday, Cliff Duggan, legal counsel for the LCSWMD and Mrs. Duggan's husband, and  Jeff Langbehn, LCSWMD executive director, held an assembly for the kindergarten through grade 8 students. Mayor Brian Snedecor also made a guest appearance.

The presenters spoke about the importance of recycling in Hobart. They played games with the students, gave out Frisbees, and even raffled off a bicycle.

Friday was Energy Carnival Day for the entire school. The junior high students organized games on different energy topics. Students moved from station to station, playing, learning about different forms of energy and earning energy bucks.

There was also a craft station where each grade made a craft to take home. On display during the carnival were solar powered cars made by the seventh-grade class and hydrogen-powered cars made by the eighth-grade class.

The following week, students in kindergarten through grade 2 went to the LCSWMD building in Merrillville to learn about composting through the "Squirmy Worms" program. St. Bridget has a compost bin in its science lab where students see the effects of composting.