Headlines about the environment are plastered all over every news site on the internet. Carbon emissions have been drastically increasing over the past decades, and plastic pollution has seen very little improvement. There is a feeling of disquiet over the fact that future generations will no longer be able to live in a safe and clean world. So, the Cannon Falls School District has decided to take action.
Superintendent Jeff Sampson has decided to make a change: the school district is switching back to 19th-century living. “The current environmental stage is atrocious. Something needs to be done if the children of America are going to live here,” Sampson said heartily. Similar to Laura Ingalls Wilder’s “Little House on the Prairie,” both school buildings are going back to the old days. There are lots of major changes that must be made, including cutting off all electricity.
With the electricity comes Chromebooks, TVs, and phones. Anything with ties to electricity (barring devices used for medical conditions) will be left at the door. Online classes will no longer be offered, and teachers do not have access to copy machines. The LED will now be printed on paper beginning next year, and issues will be published every six weeks. One of the biggest changes to be made is lighting. Since normal overhead lights can no longer be used, the school will have to resort to candles and oil lamps. Blackboards will also be installed in place of whiteboards, as dry-erase markers use large amounts of plastic. The IMC will hold much more traffic, since research has to take place in the library. For students who commute by bus or van, horse and buggies will be utilized as a replacement. School sports will have more home events, and non-digital scoreboards will have to be operated.
A major concern among parents is food. Since the school can no longer transport food from places, students will have to pitch in and hunt for food in the school forest. There will also be a large area for a garden, which elementary and middle school students will tend to. Home economics classes will return to educate students on proper preparation of food. There will be a small patch of land for farm animals to be kept, which will also be cared for by students. Recently introduced vending machines will no longer be available, and well water will be supplied as opposed to the normal fountains. The IMC will hold much more traffic, since research has to take place in the library.
This change will have a major impact on how students will learn, whether deleterious or beneficial. However, the long-term effects of this adjustment will be highly advantageous for the environment, mainly from cutting down emissions and plastic waste. The change will also educate students on how to survive in the environment, while staying on school grounds in safety. While this new rule will require alterations throughout the process, community members of Cannon Falls can only hope it’s for the better.
