On Saturday, April 28, more than 60 members of the Atrium community gathered for our Community Day of Service, the second of Atrium's 35th anniversary celebrations. Current and alumni families joined faculty and staff on the banks of the Charles River to volunteer at the Charles River Watershed Association's Charles River Cleanup.

In addition to celebrating our 35th anniversary, the Day of Service was designed to honor Atrium's commitment to the environment, while simultaneously creating an opportunity for our community to join together in a collective volunteer event. The Annual Earth Day Charles River Cleanup is part of American Rivers' National River Cleanup, which has removed more than 25 million pounds of trash from American waterways to date. The Charles River Cleanup brings together more than 3,000 volunteers each year to help pick up litter, remove invasive species and assist with park maintenance.

Given that much of Atrium's curriculum is tied to water and the Charles River, it made perfect sense to join this event to honor our school's commitment to the environment and to service. Giving students the chance to help clean the Charles allowed them to physically understand the damage that litter causes the river as they enjoyed the responsibility and camaraderie of helping to beautify the Charles.

Families began to arrive at 9:00 a.m. and were given gloves and a garbage bag. Over the next few hours, the Atrium community collected dozens of bags of trash from the banks of the Charles–and even found a few treasures, like a Chinese coin and a beautiful clay bowl! After the trash was collected, families were able to relax and enjoy one of Boston's first sunny spring days. Kids played football with Marshall and played on the playground, parents chatted with other families and their children, and everyone had a delicious picnic lunch from Matilda's (featuring the new Atrium sandwich).

"I was really pleased to have such a great turnout, on such a beautiful day!" said Head of School Marshall Carter. "And, what better way to celebrate Atrium's 35 years than in service to our community and our environment?"

Atrium Community Comes Together for Day of Service