Each year, Bellarmine College Prep holds a series of events and activities related to the school’s Summit on Human Dignity, also known as the Justice Summit. This year’s theme is Climate and Environmental Justice.
Bellarmine demonstrated its commitment to the environment on November 18 as the school held a Justice Summit Assembly in conjunction with its Sustainability Transportation Day, during which students, families, and faculty/staff were encouraged to carpool, bike, or walk to and from school.
The Justice Summit Assembly, presented by Bellarmine’s Partners in Mission and Ministry and Christian Service Program, opened with words of welcome from Mr. Rod Jemison, principal, followed by remarks and a prayer by Mr. Geronimo Desumala, director of Christian Service. The keynote speaker was Mr. Casey McCullough, computer science instructor and former environmental science instructor at Bellarmine. Mr. McCullogh is a longtime environmental sustainability advocate, an interest for which he credits the Jesuits.
During his presentation, Mr. McCullough provided an overview of the challenges facing the world related to climate change, and encouraged everyone to take steps that can make a real difference. He also provided examples of how Bellarmine “has become a true leader on the sustainability front,” including use of photovoltaic solar cells and a co-generator that greatly reduces the school’s carbon footprint, and the beautiful Bellarmine Garden with its bees, goats, and produce.
Kathleen Martin, Servant Leadership coordinator and Cura instructor, introduced three students who each address how they and their respective clubs at Bellarmine are making a difference related to environmental sustainability. Those students who spoke were Isaac Nava Corte ‘25, leader of the Garden Club; Lynx Chiang ‘27, leader of Alternative Transportation Club, and Luis Szarindar ‘27, co-president with Nate John of the E-Bike Club.
Following the remarks from students, Mr. Desumala returned and read some quotations from other Bell students from their Cura classes about what they are doing related to environmental sustainability. Those actions ranged from taking shorter showers to eliminating food waste.
The assembly concluded with the presentation of a video that depicted several families, students, faculty, and staff and how they found alternative forms of transportation on this day focused on environmental sustainability.