Honors Setonian Seminar Class Hosts Earth Day Event at Westmoreland Land Trust

Seton Hill students are often out and about in the community working with non-profits and helping to put on events either as class projects or as service opportunities.

The 11 honors students in Assistant Professor of Biology Nicole McAllister-Conrad Setonian Seminar’s class combined both, working throughout the spring semester to prepare a special event for the community: an Earth Day celebration at the Westmoreland Land Trust.

McAllister-Conrad worked with Director of Service Learning Amanda DeWitt to identify an organization. The collaboration with the Land Trust pulled in McAllister-Conrad’s experience in biology and built on a previous family fun day event hosted by last spring’s Setonian Seminar Honors Class which was taught by Professor of Chemistry Diane Miller. 

“The Land Trust has been focused on increasing their visibility, connecting with the local community and bringing awareness to what their organization does to preserve natural lands in Westmoreland County,” said McAllister-Conrad. “They want to encourage people to learn about and enjoy nature, and that was the focus of this event.”

This year’s event was tailored around Earth Day, with the goal of bringing people together to build community, provide an opportunity for people to enjoy nature, and engage people in learning about the environment, nature, and sustainability.

On April 18, the students welcomed more than 100 people of all ages to “Growing Together: An Earth Day Celebration” at St. Xavier Nature Preserve in Latrobe.

They set up tables under a big tent on the St. Xavier Preserve property, with each table hosting a nature themed activity such as rock painting, seed planting, nature scavenger hunt bingo, and a soil exploration table. Securing a food truck and adding lawn games also helped give the day a festive community feel, and certain activities were specifically planned to connect with the youngest guests.

“I was especially moved seeing the students interact with the children that attended the event,” said McAllister-Conrad. “They were kind, patient, and engaging, excitedly teaching the kids about nature and getting them excited to experience the nature around them.”

The Westmoreland Land Trust also took groups out to both plant trees and tend to previously planted trees on the property. Throughout the academic year, different groups of Seton Hill students have also assisted with the trees including Associate Professor of Marketing and Communication Catie Clark-Gordon’s Social Media Strategy and Associate Professor of Biology Jessica Brzyski's Conservation Biology classes and members of the football team as part of the Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service.

Other classes got involved in the day as well. Students from Associate Professor of Chemistry Sarah Joiner’s Textile Chemistry & Sustainability course brought one of their class projects about textile life cycles and environmental impacts to share with attendees and nursing students were on hand to perform free health checks.

“It was a wonderful day to spend outside in community with one another, exploring and talking about the nature around us,” McAllister-Conrad said. “The students did an incredible amount of work to collaborate with the Land Trust and host this event. It was impressive to see their dedication to helping the community in this way.”