Students create tall tree from recycled materials

Washington Township fifth-graders’ project wins Earth Day contest award.

By: Cynthia Koons
   WASHINGTON — A lanky 6-foot-7, Reese spends the entire school day standing in her fifth-grade science class at Pond Road Middle School.
   With eyes of blue sea glass, she is described by her classmates as having a "sunny" personality. Her teacher, who agrees with that assessment, is ready to send her to the library for the remainder of the year.
   She’s moving not because she detracts from the class, but because it’s time for her to enhance the entire school’s curriculum.
   Reese I. Cool (pronounced "recycle") isn’t a student — she is a tree that was built entirely from recycled materials by 45 creative science students as part of an Earth Day contest.
   She’s entirely homemade, with a papier-mâché trunk holding up her long branches and tin leaves. Bottle-cap flowers line her base and "I love nature" graffiti is scrawled across her back. Like her earthly counterparts, she’s home to a bird’s nest, lady bugs and inchworms.
   With long wispy vines of dried grass draping her sides, she’s nearly indistinguishable from the trees that surround the building.
   Thanks to the creative musings of two science classes, she’s also an award-winner in the environmental expression category of the Mercer County Improvement Authority’s Earth Day contest.
   "It’s a chance for students to use music, art or drama to express environmental awareness," teacher Cindy Jenkins said. "From what I viewed we’re the only one that’s done a project (with) materials."
   The Pond Road team came in second out of a slew of singing competitors. It was awarded a trophy and a $200 cash prize.
   "The kids are going to vote what they want to do with the money," Ms. Jenkins said. "They’d like to walk to Friendly’s to have lunch. They may like to donate a book to the library."
   These rewards weren’t even on the kids’ minds when they started brainstorming for the environmental expression contest back in December. Beginning in January, with the help of art teacher Jessica Barman, the kids started on the trunk and eventual branches, globe and other decorative parts of the tree.
   "The ideas were all over the place," Ms. Jenkins said. Her two science classes were commissioned to make the project, and some students even stayed after school to add to the tree.
   The beautification of Ms. Cool was finished last week. With parents’ help, Ms. Jenkins transported her to Sovereign Bank Arena in Trenton for the judging on Saturday.
   "Smoky the Bear was there, the Pinelands Commission was there," she said. "If you won they give you bugs for wins."
   About 20 of her students attended the day’s events and returned to school on Monday in their new, contest-issued T-shirts.
   "The kids that came (on Saturday) were telling all of the kids about it," she said. "If they hadn’t won I think they would have been disappointed. They still would have had something to show and share and I think that’s good, too."