Students at Willard Elementary celebrated Earth Day a good six months early (or late) yesterday in a school-wide program.

With demonstrations, informal chats and hands-on environmental activity, students got a full dose of Earth Day fun.

"I'm excited to see these guys grow up and apply this stuff, because they already do so much here," second-grade teacher John Altieri said.

The school itself has devoted this year to the Willard Goes Green initiative, which looks to promote environmental activity throughout the school.

Yesterday's festivities included presentations from Ridgewood High School's Students for Environmental Action, visits from Bergen County Community College students and faculty, and an assembly that culminated with the planting of bulbs.

If all goes well, the bulbs should spring to life by the official Earth Day, April 22.

Second graders worked outside with teacher Christy Kearney. There, she led an interactive lesson on decomposition. Kearney asked students to choose among 10 common items and line them up in order of what would break down fastest. Items included banana peels, sneakers, soda bottles, and Styrofoam containers, among other products.

Although students correctly selected bananas to biodegrade first, they were shocked to learn that a plastic soda bottle takes a million years to break down.

"A million years!" one boy exclaimed.

Kearney also noted Styrofoam doesn't naturally break down and can last forever.

"Instead of a Styrofoam cup, if we used plastic coffee cups it would be a lot better," she said.

In their presentation, high school students talked about green fundamentals—from water conservation to global warming.

The high schoolers were impressed by a global warming definition given by a second-grade boy.

"It's when gases and stuff get really hot and cause cold places to melt snow and the ice melts and species there are in danger," he explained.

Later, Altieri asked his students how Willard protects the environment. Students brought up recycling, composting, and the reusable bottles many utilize.

Sue Perry, the mother of a Willard student, said her daughter loves recycling.

"She comes home all the time, and she's so excited and keeps talking about what she learned about recycling."

The Ridgewood School District does not allow the publication of student names or photographs online. This article honors those wishes.