The Global and Environmental Studies Certificate (GESC) gives seniors at Loomis Chaffee the opportunity to pursue capstone projects centered on environmental and/or global topics after completing specific curriculum requirements. Whether students tackle this using research, hands-on activities, or unique initiatives, they all leave a strong impact on the Island. This year’s graduating class has continued to showcase new ideas for the common good through the GESC program.
For her GESC project, Sally Hayes ’25 embarked upon finding “ghost trees” on campus and promoting their stories. She began by ‘meeting with Dr. Morrell and Steve Baskauf, a professor from Vanderbilt University, to discuss the arboretum and how to publicize it to the community,’ Hayes claimed.
“Professor Baskauf mentioned that he offered Halloween arboretum tours (ghost tree tours), where he would talk about trees that once lived on the campus and share their stories,” Hayes said. Inspired by this, she explored the archives, in order to gather pictures of past trees with Ms. Parsons.
Her work was displayed for the community, and not only did it add a new dimension to the Loomis landscape, but it also ‘taught [her] the importance of accuracy in writing historical narratives and the importance of sources in storytelling when speaking for someone who no longer has a voice,” said Hayes.
Nina Cushman ’25, on the other hand, took a different approach to her GESC capstone by choosing to pursue a Alvord Center-sponsored project.
“I worked with Mr. Matlack and Mr. Armstrong to create interactive data maps of the Connecticut River for the newly formed ‘Connecticut River Schools Collaborative,’ a group of preparatory schools… along the Connecticut river [that are] committed to learning about and protecting the river,” she said. Working with her partner Addie Looney ’25, the pair created maps using ArcGIS Technology, which they were familiar with from their CL Environmental Science course.
Not only was Cushman able to connect her knowledge from past curricula to this project, her work is now available for others to use on the ArcGIS database. Cushman remarked, “I loved feeling like my project had an impact, as I was compiling data and research into interactive visuals that I know will be used by future students in the Connecticut River Schools Collaborative.”
Another student, Cece Johnson ’25, went about her GESC project by creating “Susuvi,” a directory of curated organic and sustainable restaurants, to promote conscious eating. This project was inspired by her observation of the interconnectedness of health and food. Johnson uploaded around 1,000 locations and mentioned that the project is still in the works.
One main factor in Johnson’s GESC project has been presenting to dorms around campus with a focus on underclassmen. “My project connects to the developing skills component of the Alvord Center Matrix, as I have ‘taken action’ creating two websites and showcasing my projects to dorms on campus,” she shared.
