Newtown Middle School Environmental Projects

By Tanjua Damon

Newtown Middle School has students in seventh grade who could well be on their way to being environmentalists. They worked for approximately three weeks on projects that effected the environment and their communities.

Students in clusters 7A, 7B, and 7D came up with projects ranging from protecting animals to conserving water to open space to saving the rain forest.

“There were a variety of projects. Students showed a lot of enthusiasm. This assignment showed their scientific skills,” seventh grade teacher Mrs Catanese said. “We were really impressed with the quality of work we received from our students. The level of work they did was phenomenal.”

Amy Kopchik designed a website to make people aware of animals’ needs and what they can do to help them. Amy volunteered at Mount Pleasant Animal Hospital so she could learn about animals. The site is located at www.geocities.com/animalaction2002.

“I’ve learned about just how to help animals,” Amy said. “Hopefully everyone in town will get involved.”

Ever heard of a raft that has been made from recycled materials? Heather Young created one out of bottles, board, and duct tape; even though she did not stay completely dry it was a fun experience.

“I liked floating on it, but the bottles wouldn’t stay on board that good,” Heather said. “It was hard to build, but it was fun to be creative.”

Crystal Wilder planted trees around her neighborhood. She sent letters asking for permission.

“Trees really help out the environment. They give oxygen and animals live in them,” Crystal said. “You should plant trees because they help the environment and people are killing the rain forests so there needs to be more trees planted.”

Jocelyn Gaudett built bird houses to help the birds have homes since development is increasing in the area.

“Due to overdevelopment, some birds are displaced because there aren’t as many trees,” Jocelyn said. “They need homes. When we build our homes their homes are taken away.”

Maricate Conlon researched storm water pollution. With the help of Fred Hurley of the Town Of Newtown Public Works Department, Maricate was able to find out about where storm water ends up. She stenciled on storm drains where the storm water was going.

“It wouldn’t be that much of a problem but it ends up in wetlands and waterways,” Maricate said. “I noticed on my street all the trash. I always thought it would be nice to remind people where the water is going.”

Shane McCarthy built compost bins for his neighbors to show people that garbage can be recycled.

“People are throwing away organic garbage that can be used for gardens and flower beds,” Shane said. “I wanted to make people aware of what they are throwing away and that their garbage can be reused.”

Kevin Donahue made an environmentally sound building. He showed that cement blocks do not wear away as easily as shingled roofs. Cement blocks would also keep the house cooler in the summer and warmer in the winter.

“People need to care for their houses,” Kevin said. “They need environmentally sound building and need to be aware of what they are doing.”

Sammi Wong volunteered at the Maritime Center for Animal Rescue. She worked with Amy Ferland with seals and sea turtles.

“I wanted to do something with volunteering,” Sammi said. “I liked seeing the process animal rescue and how it had to do with the environmental problem. I learned a lot of the things we throw out affects a lot of maritime animals.”

Head O’ Meadow first graders learned about environmental issues from Christina Ercole. She played a game with them.

“I thought they could help the environment,” Christina said. “They are the future generation so if they can do things to help that’s good.”

Katie Miranti spent time learning about Danbury Animal Welfare Society to teach the community the importance of being a responsible pet owner.

“Animals carry around toxic waste and rabies,” Katie said. “If you are going to buy a dog or cat be prepared to take care of it.”

Brian Cullinan could fix a leaking faucet after completing his project. He learned the importance of finding ways to conserve water. He taught his class how to fix a leaking faucet.

“It was a resourceful project,” Brian said. “Saving water is important. Sometimes there is a drought and if we waste water we won’t have it when we need it.”

Jon Monaco researched car-related air pollution.

“I never actually fixed up a car. I learned how cars can become environmentally sound,” Jon said. “One tuned-up car can make a difference; less carbon monoxide input.”

Saving the rain forests was a project done by Megan Anderson who feels that if rain forests keep being destroyed as they are the environment is at a major risk.

“They are being destroyed at [a rate of] seven football fields a minute,” Megan said. “At that rate they will be gone by 2050. People need to use more environmentally safe products to help save the rain forests.”

Joe Curran and Evan Gregoire researched the Superfund cleanup sites in Newtown. The boys wanted to raise awareness.

“There are ten sites in all. Four are archived and six are still environmentally hazardous,” Evan said.

“This can really give Herb Rosenthal an idea to put something else in place that are environmentally safe,” Joe added.

Nick Drabik looked at the open space in Newtown, specifically Pole Bridge Road. He met with First Selectman Herb Rosenthal to talk about what the town’s plans are and what is budgeted for open space.

“We’re building too many houses and we’re running out of space,” Nick said. “We need to slow building down to have a better environment.”

Billy McCann went to Sandy Hook School and taught about how paper is made and what can be done to help use less trees.

“We need to recycle paper that way we conserve the trees,” Billy said. “I was aiming toward a future community. Recycling paper will have more impact on preserving land.”