Photos prompt Skyview students to help reduce trash
A few photographs have inspired Skyview Elementary students to find ways to reduce garbage.
Third-grade teacher Karin Steever recently showed her class photos on the Web site of Seattle photographer Chris Jordan that illustrate examples of waste going into the nation’s dumps. One example illustrates the number of plastic beverage bottles tossed every five minutes – an estimated two million.
Her students soon began developing ideas to help conserve resources – one person at a time – including using reusable water bottles at school and buying reusable grocery shopping bags as holiday gifts. Jordan also has pictures depicting 60,000 plastic bags used in the nation every five seconds.
“My oldest son lives in Seattle, and he sent me this link to Chris Jordan’s site,” Steever said. “The photographer starts by taking a picture, then he magnifies it to show the scale. This is where my kids really started to think about it.
“They came up with the idea that we’re going to try to buy their parents reusable shopping bags. It’s affordable, and it’s a way they can contribute.”
Two of her students, Devin Sabie and Makayla Sotin, said the class wants to raise awareness about recycling and using nondisposable products.
“We’re trying to get people to recycle more,” said Makayla, who added that seeing the photos really got the students thinking about ways to help. “That’s when we started caring. I didn’t really realize we used all that until we saw the photos.”
One way to help is by reducing plastic bottles and bags, according to Devin. “We’re trying to buy plastic bottles and reuse them at school or at home. It would be great if the world stopped using plastic bags.”
Steever has another item she would love help recycling to benefit student learning, and she hopes people will help her collect them. Whenever she and her husband eat at Noodle Express, she keeps the sturdy black plastic meal containers with a lid. After a washing, they can neatly stack and store math manipulatives for each child. She already has a few in her classroom but could use more.
“Those containers are very sturdy and make the best containers for math manipulative with our new math program. I would love anyone in our community who eats at Noodle Express to save their containers and also secure a lid when they eat there,” and after washing them, drop them off at the school, she said.
If people want to save and wash Noodle Express containers with lids to give to Steever, they can bring them to the school office at 16924 E. Wellesley Ave.. The photographs that inspired the students can be found at www.chrisjordan.com.
Golf course, clubs, awarding scholarship
The Painted Hills Golf Course and its Men’s and Ladies’ Clubs will award scholarships for an 18th year in 2008. A total of 50 students have received over $54,000 in financial aid from the groups over the past 17 years.
Five scholarships valued at $1,500 each will be awarded in April. One scholarship will be awarded through the Spokane Community Colleges Foundation and four will be awarded to high school applicants.
Applicants for financial aid from the Spokane Community Colleges Foundation will automatically be considered for that scholarship. Spokane Valley high school guidance counselors can distribute applications for the remaining four scholarships. The forms also will be available at the golf course when the clubhouse is open, but they must be picked up.
The scholarships may be used at any accredited college or technical school. Judging criteria will emphasize school and community activities, leadership and a short written essay. Applications are due on or before March 14. All applications will be reviewed and finalists will be interviewed by scholarship committee members.
World War II veteran speaks to students
East Farms Elementary fifth-grade teacher Linda Bauer scheduled a visitor for students last week to help bring history to life.
Fifth-grade students heard events experienced by Cheney resident Frank Mace, who was on Wake Island when the Japanese bombed it in 1941.
Bauer said she wanted to have Mace speak on Dec. 7, marking the anniversary of the Pearl Harbor attack that spurred the United States to enter World War II.