“Make Every Day Earth Day”

(Earth Day, 2008--Riverhead, NY) There is an earthiness to the atmosphere at the Aquebogue Elementary School. On a warm day with the wind from the south a breeze brings an olfactory reminder that the duck farm is still just down the road. That earthy smell is a gentle reminder of Aquebogue's rural beginnings. The sign outside the school's main entrance, with boats on the bay, reminds us that the bay is indeed just a short walk away. It should be no wonder then that this school capitalizes on its location and Earth Day/Arbor Day to remind its students of how important it is for them to be caretakers of the beauty that surrounds them.

“Make Every Day Earth Day” was the motto that inspired hundreds of individual posters during a week of learning events, but the art-related learning started much earlier in the year with an art project entitled “The PolyBear Project.”

"The PolyBear Project has received national recognition," notes Aquebogue Principal Phil Kent. "Similarly to last year's Bottlebug Project (a huge caterpillar made out of large recycled detergent bottles), this project will be featured in the coveted children's magazine, Scholastic News. The publisher has contacted us and with our permission asked to display pictures of the Polybear project in their April/Earth Day issue."

All 435 students at the Aquebogue School collaborated with Maureen Ahern, their art teacher, Marta Baumiller, a professional sculptor and milliner, and Cliff Baldwin, a professional artist, to make four large polyethylene polar bears from thousands of recycled plastic shopping bags collected at the school. (Last year, they also made a 4 foot by 22 foot ceramic wall mosaic made entirely of old broken or chipped china, ceramic tiles, plates, mugs, beach class, rocks, shells, glass marbles and other colorful recycled items. It was entitled “Saving the Sea.”)

"With this outdoor sculpture project, we hope to bring attention to climate change and the plight of Polar Bears and other creatures living in the arctic region," explains Mrs. Ahern. "By recycling our bags we can also learn about all the plastic we create on earth and how we can reuse it. In addition to the outdoor sculptures placed in and around the school,"
she continues, "we made polar bears out of clay, polar bear drawings and created our own reusable shopping bag."

In March, Aquebogue’s “Odyssey of the Mind” team won second place in their division in this international competition. The problem the Aquebogue team chose to depict in the skit they presented as part of the competition centered on “Global Warming.” Their skit, which was presented as part of the final assembly of a weeklong celebration of Earth Day, is a colorful representation of how three eccentric characters deal with the effects of global warming, which has placed Aquebogue underwater. This scenario while not immediate may be eminent.

Most of the week’s learning events, however, were focused on what the students can do right now to help protect the environment. The kickoff event was held on Monday, April 14th, with “The Bodacious Book Show III” presented by Agostino Arts. This presentation explored books about animals, adventure tales and poetry and featured “Home in the Sky,” a classic folktale about the sun, moon, and ocean in which the whole audience and 12 volunteers help to create an ocean full of life.

On Tuesday, April 15th, the students received a visit from the Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC). Each class rotated between four stations set up outside that gave them information on: (1) the danger of oil spills and how they can be prevented and cleaned up--stressing the fragility of the water table and the importance of keeping the bays and sound clean; (2) the types of fishes found in water areas around Aquebogue and what is being done to protect them presented by an officer from the Fishery Department; (3) what the students can do to protect wild life and endangered species in a presentation given by a wildlife officer; and (4) how to identify insects and small animal life found in marsh areas.

Third graders study the water cycle. On Wednesday, April 16th, the third graders had an assembly on “Storm Water” presented by Mark Cappellino, a storm water educator from Cornell Cooperative. His skit featuring Detective Stormy Waters attempts to make the students think about storm water runoff and how oil spills, litter, “pet poo,” and other controllable items can affect the water table and road runoff into the bays.

On Thursday, April 17th, first and second graders took a field trip to the Quogue Wildlife Refuge to view a variety of snakes, turtles, and tortoises and to learn about various reptiles their life cycles, and the human impact on local species.

On Friday, April 18th, the kindergartners celebrated Arbor Day early by planting five trees donated by Peat and Son from Half Hollow Hills, Matt’s Landscaping and Tree Farm in Manorville, and Shade Tree Nursery in Jamesport.

The kindergarten classes each had their own tree to plant. They poured in a carton of soil, learned about the type of tree they were planting and then had what Principal Phil Kent called an “Oprah Moment” when they held hands, closed their eyes and envisioned their hopes for this tree.

“I hope it has a long and healthy life,” intoned one little kindergarten student after another.

The presentation at the final assembly kept things close to home as Riverhead’s own “Mr. Clean Up,” George Bartunek from the Town Council, spoke to the children about how they can make a difference in keeping Riverhead clean and environmentally safe.


Photo Caption: Aquebogue’s “Odyssey of the Mind” team presented their skit on global warming at the final Earth Week assembly.

Photo Caption: Kerri Stromski’s kindergarten class watched as a representative from the DEC showed them how a gas spill could leak into the sound and the water table.

Photo Caption: It was a Kodak moment as PTO representative Sue Koukounas snapped a shot of Mrs. Skop’s kindergarten class and Aquebogue Principal Phil Kent after the planting of a Red Maple donated by Peat and Son of Half Hollow Hills as part of Aquebogue Elementary School’s week long celebration of Earth Day.

Photo Caption: The presentation at the final assembly kept things close to home as Riverhead’s own “Mr. Clean Up,” George Bartunek from the Town Council, spoke to the children about how they can make a difference in keeping Riverhead clean and environmentally safe.

 

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