Grade-schoolers turn waste into art with a useful twist
TERRE HAUTE, Ind. (AP) - Morgan John is passionate about finding creative purposes for used things other people would toss in the wastebasket.
"I'm the kind of person who likes to go outside and go crazy," said the third grader, whose favorite holiday is Earth Day.
When it came time to make her entry for the "Art From Waste" contest, she went to the family's garage to scope out material. reTHink, a nonprofit organization that educates and supports local businesses in reducing the amount of trash sent to landfills, sponsored the contest to promote recycling among youth.
Morgan gathered up water bottles, aluminum foil, a cat litter container, plastic foam and other products. The end result was a mannequin dressed as an outdoors enthusiast - complete with an International Harvester ball cap and sunglasses.
It was supposed to look like John Bitzegaio, Lost Creek's Explorers Science Club adviser, whom Morgan knows as "Mr. B."
The mannequin's head was plastic foam and his arms were made out of plastic bottles and foil. He wore a jacket with a bird guidebook and field notes in the pockets. His foot rested on a log from Morgan's backyard.
Nearly 90 entries made by children from Vigo County Schools were displayed Sunday afternoon in the Vigo County Public Library's Youth Services program room. A panel of three judges, including Tribune-Star photographer Austen Leake, determined the winners.
Briley Wolfe, a kindergartner from Sugar Creek Elementary, took first place in the K-2 grade division. The 3-5 contest ended with a tie: Luna Rogers, a fourth grader, and Will Sommer, a fifth grader, both from Lost Creek.
Honorable mentions were also selected.
"They were all really good," said Dr. Shikha Bhattacharyya, the contest's organizer, told the Tribune-Star before the judges decided. "We just wanted the children to start thinking about waste differently."
The contest was part of reTHink's bicentennial legacy project, called "Sustainable Terre Haute 2016: Collective Dream."
Children were encouraged to make art projects from waste material. The contest was open to students through 12th grade.
A fourth grader entered a backpack designed with Capri Sun juice drink pouches. Another fourth grader made an Eiffel Tower with cardboard and soda can tabs.
There were two different guitars made from cereal boxes, with yarn for the strings and empty paper towel rolls as the neck.
Seven-year-old India Pigg, a first-grader, started her project with decorative tape, fastening together boxes to make a school supply organizer. She also used toilet paper rolls and duct tape.
"I saw it somewhere on the computer," India said, explaining the inspiration for her design.
India's mother, Sarah, said the family regularly recycles household items. She said the project helped her daughter better understand the concept of reusing materials, and learned you could save money by making your own products at home.
"I think it just kind of helped reiterate the importance of what we're already doing at home," Sarah Pigg said.
___
Source: (Terre Haute) Tribune-Star, http://bit.ly/1Q5eIfj
___
Information from: Tribune-Star, http://www.tribstar.com