Students Take Environmental Concerns to the State House

By Leo Im '28

Northfield Mount Hermon took another big step in its commitment to civic engagement and environmental leadership in February as the school’s Climate Action Club traveled to the Massachusetts State House for 2026 Massachusetts Youth Climate Coalition Advocacy Day. Composed of both students and faculty with passion to advocate for the environment, the group joined hundreds of other peers to lobby for various bills. This transition from the NMH classroom to the State House functioned as another form of education, allowing students to apply scientific and social theory to policy-making in the real world. 

The advocacy experience offered several lessons in political strategy that traditional textbooks couldn’t. Crystal Zheng ’27, lead facilitator for the group pushing for the “Polluters Pay” bill in a meeting with Rep. Susannah Whipps, described the complexity of balancing direct advocacy with political empathy. While Zheng’s group pushed for its assigned bill, specifically seeking to hold large oil corporations accountable financially for climate damages, they were required to navigate the reality of a legislator’s interests and busy schedule. 

Beyond the legislative goals, the event served as an important platform for NMH leadership. Samuel Robbins ’26 took on the role of facilitating a team of students from NMH and other schools, demonstrating the school’s ability to promote (find alternative word) its leadership not only within but beyond the school as well. Robbins reflected on the importance of deep preparation, noting that while the energy required in a rally is indeed indispensable, truly effective lobbying requires a firm understanding of policy. “Doing work in the field like this is super important, but you can’t engage from a place of ignorance,” he said. He added that the most important lesson from the State House visit was that “you can never be too prepared.”

The value of the experience also extended to the integration of scientific principles with social action. Biology teacher and Climate Action Club advisor Skylar McAlpin considered the trip as a method to give “real-world application” to concepts learned in the classroom. “Teaching the importance of environmental action while thinking about our changing climate is crucial, but being able to see the other end of the story of the need for advocating for Earth is important,” McAlpin stated. 

The success of the advocacy day ultimately lay in the thorough preparation and specific roles assigned within each team. While presenters focused on the technicalities of their bills, others helped out in various ways like providing the emotional energy through storytelling. Kaylee Calaski, a student at Four Rivers Charter School, highlighted that the work continues after the meeting through follow-up communication, saying that “keeping in touch with the representatives that we met with and asking if they completed the requests from the meeting while also establishing bonds” was the next step. 

The trip to the Massachusetts State House was not just a visit for advocacy but also a symbol of NMH’s tradition of education for the head, heart and hand. By engaging directly with the legislative process, students could prove that they were not one of the countless observers of the climate crisis but were active participants in the solution.
Northfield Mount Hermon took another big step in its commitment to civic engagement and environmental leadership in February as the school’s Climate Action Club traveled to the Massachusetts State House for 2026 Massachusetts Youth Climate Coalition Advocacy Day. Composed of both students and faculty with passion to advocate for the environment, the group joined hundreds of other peers to lobby for various bills. This transition from the NMH classroom to the State House functioned as another form of education, allowing students to apply scientific and social theory to policy-making in the real world. 

The advocacy experience offered several lessons in political strategy that traditional textbooks couldn’t. Crystal Zheng ’27, lead facilitator for the group pushing for the “Polluters Pay” bill in a meeting with Rep. Susannah Whipps, described the complexity of balancing direct advocacy with political empathy. While Zheng’s group pushed for its assigned bill, specifically seeking to hold large oil corporations accountable financially for climate damages, they were required to navigate the reality of a legislator’s conflicting interests and busy schedule. 

Beyond the legislative goals, the event served as an important platform for NMH leadership. Samuel Robbins ’26 took on the role of facilitating a team of students from NMH and other schools, demonstrating the school’s ability to promote (find alternative word) its leadership not only within but beyond the school as well. Robbins reflected on the importance of deep preparation, noting that while the energy required in a rally is indeed indispensable, truly effective lobbying requires a firm understanding of policy. “Doing work in the field like this is super important, but you can’t engage from a place of ignorance,” he said. He added that the most important lesson from the State House visit was that “you can never be too prepared.”

The value of the experience also extended to the integration of scientific principles with social action. Biology teacher and Climate Action Club advisor Skylar McAlpin considered the trip as a method to give “real-world application” to concepts learned in the classroom. “Teaching the importance of environmental action while thinking about our changing climate is crucial, but being able to see the other end of the story of the need for advocating for Earth is important,” McAlpin stated. 

The success of the advocacy day ultimately lay in the thorough preparation and specific roles assigned within each team. While presenters focused on the technicalities of their bills, others helped out in various ways like providing the emotional energy through storytelling. Kaylee Calaski, a student of Four Rivers Charter School and notetaker of her team, highlighted that the work continues after the meeting through follow-up communication, saying that “keeping in touch with the representatives that we met with and asking if they completed the requests from the meeting while also establishing bonds” was the next step. 

The trip to the Massachusetts State House was not just a visit for advocacy but also a symbol of NMH’s tradition of education for the head, heart and hand. By engaging directly with the legislative process, students could prove that they were not one of the countless observers of the climate crisis but were active participants in the solution.

Leo Im '28 is a workjob student reporter in the NMH communications office.
Photos, from top: Students with state Sen. Jo Comerford, student speaker Siddiqi Komou '27, Luisa Ortiz '26 and Katherine Yao '27 in the legislative chambers, the NMH group on the steps of the Massachusetts State House
Photos courtesy of the NMH Ecoleaders.