Scarecrow Makers Show They Have Hearts As Big As Their Imaginations

By Shannon Hicks

For one week each year since October 1996, Newtown Middle School’s front lawn has become an exhibition space that presents the public with some of the most creative, energetic, and durable projects done by members of the eighth grade class. Students in the Discovery and Gifted Art programs have been taking part in an annual Sculpted Scarecrow Contest, putting original works on public view and inviting friends, family, and the public at large to vote for their favorites.

The basic premise of the contest has been to create a scarecrow. Students have taken that basic idea and over the years expanded on it in over 150 different sizes, shapes, and forms, creating everything from traditional scarecrows and contemporary scarecrows to non-scarecrows and everything in between. The public presentation is a culmination of the students having learned the history and use of scarecrows, and the creations have been as individual as the student groups who create them.

Once the scarecrows are placed on view, they remain on the lawn at 11 Queen Street for approximately nine days, while the public spends $1 for each vote to pick a winner. The top three groups are then challenged with choosing an area charity, with each group donating a portion of the money collected during the voting period to their selected aid organization. So in addition to learning all about scarecrows, the students have also learned about goodwill.

Races have sometimes been very close, or sometimes the results are easy to figure out in advance. This year’s contest was definitely a horse race, with the top two winners going neck and neck during the election period that ran Saturday, October 21, when the sculptures were all put on view at the middle school, through Monday, October 30, when the voting was concluded.

On Tuesday, October 31, the winners were announced. Because it was such a tight race, with results going back and forth right from the moment the competition began, it was decided that there would be two first place winners this year. And so at the end of the school day on Halloween, just as middle schoolers were heading home and getting ready to begin Trick or Treating, the team of Jack Gutbrod and Sioban Cooper and the team of Sarah Hemingway, Lauren Reed, Emily Koh, and Ashley Ball learned they would be sharing the title for the 5th Annual Newtown Middle School Sculpted Scarecrow Contest.

Jack and Sioban were responsible for a well-constructed and cleverly designed Blue Dragon, or the Sea Serpent, as many of those who dropped off ballots were calling the creation. The dragon had been created to look as if its head, midsection, and tail were above ground, but everything else was underground. Tin tendrils hanging from the monster’s nose and the end of its tail were a decorative and functional adornment; no crow in its right mind would have been unalarmed when those things started moving.

Sarah, Lauren, Emily, and Ashley were the minds behind one of the biggest butterflies ever seen around here. The girls had designed a pretty sculpture, with purple ties floating off the edges of the butterfly’s wings, proving that scarecrows need not be hideous, frightening-looking creations in order to serve their purpose. The butterfly was surrounded by a number of larger-than-life flowers.

Second place honors went to The Grim Reaper, a terrifying presentation of the personified form of Death that is usually seen in a black cloak with a scythe, created by Marcus Schultz, Farley Miller, Alfie Mancuso, and Jessica Dutch.

Third place was also such a close race it was decided another tie would be awarded. A huge crow produced by Allie Hornak, Becky Fielding, and Becky Luceris therefore shares third place honors this year with the Giant Pumpkin, done by Sara Davis and Kendall McChord.

Three of the five winning teams have decided to make their donations to the parents of the late Greg Chion, a Newtown High School senior who just last week lost his battle against leukemia. In written statements, all three groups said they wanted to help the Newtown family.

The creators of The Grim Reaper will be making a donation to the American Diabetes Association because, their statement said in part, “one of our group members is diabetic, as well as about 300,000 other Americans.”

The girls behind the giant crow are also thinking locally with their donation. Their decision to give money to the Treadwell Park playground fund was made because, the trio wrote, “we think it should be rebuilt for the enjoyment of all the little kids.” A brand-new playspace at the Philo Curtis Road park was cold-heartedly burned down late last week, just days after having been built by volunteers.

For the first time this year, the sculptures were available for purchase once the contest had concluded. As of Wednesday morning, five of the sculptures had been purchased and all of the money collected from those sales will be added to the money being donated by the five groups.

More Votes Than Ever

Creativity, imagination, and good, hard work once again went on view for the public this year. While only a few sculptures were going to be voted the winners, it was obvious to the hundreds of people who visited the collection that a lot of elbow grease had gone into the projects. When all of the votes were counted earlier this week, it was discovered that over 1,160 votes had been collected. That represents a new record of participants in the competition.

Among the additional creations this year was a tall Harry Potter, complete with billowing cape; The Dream Eater, a creation that came complete with its own legend; an homage to the fictional movie character Austin Powers, who was accompanied by a number of characters from the second Austin Powers movie; a windmill in the form of a cow; a scarecrow that seemed to be running from crows (who had been suspended from a jungle gym-style contraption); and a huge gray mouse who had beady red eyes that lit up.

Also on view was something called The Underpants Gnome, an ugly little creature covered with undergarments, together with a sign that said “Ever wonder where the underwear and socks you thought were in the dryer actually disappeared to?”; a Cooking Dragon, with its own spatula and a Kiss The Cook apron; DARE To Scare Barbie, a clever creation that had the children’s doll dressed as a police officer; and a hockey referee who had had a tough game — the ref had a hockey puck stuck in its forehead.

The spirit of the Sculpted Scarecrow Contest has caught on within the student body at Newtown Middle School. Bryan Walsh, who had a soda bottle creation on display this year, said the contest is certainly something his classmates are aware of.

“It’s not the biggest thing we talk about,” he said, “but if you walk to school in the morning, of course you’re going to see these out here.”

“People look forward to making them and seeing them,” added Tom Rodbell, who, while not one of the artists this year, was among those who admired the work of his classmates. Bryan and Tom, like many other students and even the general public, were out on the lawn one afternoon last week, checking out the competition and just admiring the collection as a whole. Small groups of people were seen at the school every afternoon during the competition.