Marysville Middle School students ask people to dim lights for Earth

Published 10:54 pm Thursday, March 27, 2008

MARYSVILLE — Determined to make a difference, 22 seventh-graders are begging adults and businesses to dim the lights Saturday night.

One hour is all it takes

In attempt to educate people about global warming, students in Gina Sanchez’s social studies class at Marysville Middle School are urging everyone to turn off or dim their lights from 8 to 9 p.m. Saturday. The effort is part of a global movement called “Earth Hour,” which began in Sydney, Australia last year.

Marysville student Jake Shearer read an article about Earth Hour and shared it with his classmates. They had been learning about global warming and were eager to help the Earth in some way, Sanchez said.

Led by students Brenna Tait and Moriah Bakker, the class spread the word by calling local businesses and radio stations. In Marysville, Golden Corral and Dairy Queen agreed to participate, Sanchez said.

Several Seattle landmarks are also planning to participate, including the Space Needle, City Hall and Qwest Field.

People in Chicago, Phoenix and San Francisco also plan to dim their lights.

While Sanchez supports her students, she said they are driving the effort. They’ve talked to their parents about Earth Hour and made charts on global warming to share with others.

Students Mitch Ryiter and Selina Richardson called Marysville Mayor Dennis Kendall and convinced him to visit their class Thursday to discuss global warming.

“These kids really care about their environment,” Sanchez said. “They know they have an 8- to 10-year time frame in which they can stop global warming and they just want to act on it.”

For more information on Earth Hour, go to www.earthhour.org.