Four teachers at the Albert D. Lawton (ADL) school in Essex Junction were recognized on the last day of classes for their exceptional efforts in environmental education and waste prevention. On Tuesday, June 15, the Chittenden Solid Waste District (CSWD) gave "Outstanding Teacher" awards to Tina Logan (art teacher, who lives in Essex Junction), Gary Moreau (music teacher, who lives in Essex Junction), Terry Potvin (Family & Consumer Science teacher, who lives in Williston) and Adam Sawyer (band teacher, who lives in Burlington) and commended them for their SPEAK UP (Saving Planet Earth As Kids Unite Proactively) environmental awareness program.
"These teachers developed an innovative approach to waste reduction education," said Jess Sankey, CSWD's School Outreach Coordinator. "It attests their ability to weave the "three Rs"--Reduce, Reuse, Recycle--across the curriculum and into the community in a fun and meaningful way.They are true leaders in creating positive change through student engagement."
By integrating their art, music, and family and consumer science programs into a class-wide study of how to reduce waste, reuse materials and recycle, the teachers helped foster in an understanding among the students of how individuals can make a difference in the current and future condition of the environment. Eighth graders who completed a SPEAK UP unit lead by the four teachers used recycled materials to make bags, T-shirt totes, jewelry, scrap fabric art, sculptures, coasters, furniture and silverware mobiles.
"Seeing all the non-fitting T-shirts with neat decor being turned into bags was a great way to show that one man's trash is another man's treasure," commented eighth grader Zoe Frolik. To cap off the unit, students took a trip to the Flynn Center to see ScrapArtsMusic, a theatrical performance that incorporates instruments fashioned from scrap and offbeat materials ranging from accordion parts to artillery shells.
