At Harbor City International School—a tuition-free public high school in Duluth, MN, founded in 2002—students learn to tackle global challenges through academic excellence, creative expression, and community engagement. The student-led Action Club Team (ACT) embodies this mission by empowering young environmental leaders in a city grappling with Great Lakes climate impacts that range from rising water levels and changes in ice formation patterns to increased occurrences of algae blooms – all consequences of society’s continued use of fossil fuels. Drawing from a diverse student body, ACT members lead hands-on environmental initiatives: monitoring Lake Superior’s water quality with local scientists, conducting and submitting beach cleanup data to the Alliance for the Great Lakes, planning, fundraising, creating and maintaining an urban pollinator garden, and organizing community climate education events. Through partnerships with Youth Eco Solutions, the local zoo, and city planners, Harbor City’s students are building real-world environmental leadership skills.
Harbor City International School’s Symposium Series: The Naturalist Experience,” immerses students in nature, providing opportunities to do water sampling in Sawmill Creek in Finland, MN at Wolf Ridge Environmental Learning Center, plant vegetables at St. Mark Giving Garden and Food Access Project, and learn how glaciers shaped Minnesota’s geology.
ACT, the largest student-run club at Harbor City, is working to protect Lake Superior’s watershed and educate the community about environmental stewardship through hands-on water conservation projects. Their initiatives include conducting beach sweeps to collect pollution data, organizing citywide cleanup events, and educating elementary students at Many Rivers Montessori School about water ecology and watershed protection. Partnering with the Lake Superior Zoo, ACT monitors water quality in Kingsbury Creek and sets up and monitors trail cameras to discover what wild organisms use areas adjacent to the Zoo. Collaborating with Duluth’s Utility Programs division, students are raising awareness about stormwater pollution, particularly how trash, animal waste, road salt, and organic materials like leaves and dirt threaten waterways, and how everyday citizens can help prevent them. Harbor City’’s public art and education campaigns, adopt-a-storm-drain program, and annual service projects are not only protecting Lake Superior’s future but also developing confident, capable environmental leaders ready to tackle tomorrow’s challenges.