Date: Fri 11-Oct-1996

Publication: Bee

Author: SHANNO

Illustration: C

Location: A9

Quick Words:

scarecrow-Vouros-Clancy

Full Text:

(Scarecrow contest by NMS students, voting to be done by cmmty, 10/11/96)

Scarecrow! Sculpture Contest Is A Community-Wide Event

(with cuts, voting ballot)

BY SHANNON HICKS

Students in the eighth grade gifted art and Discovery classes at Newtown

Middle School are keeping something from their teachers these days.

Nearly sixty students are participating in a joint contest between the two

classes, with the results and ongoing participation being kept under wraps for

another week. The contest: To create a larger-than-life size scarecrow for the

first annual Newtown Scarecrow Sculpture Contest, to be presented Saturday and

Sunday, October 19-20, on the front lawn of the Queen Street school.

On those days, nearly 25 scarecrows are expected to adorn the front lawn of

the school. Parents, friends and all members of the community are invited to

visit the school during the course of the weekend - the scarecrows will remain

on display all day Saturday and Sunday - to vote for their favorite creation.

Ballots will be available on-site, and also printed on the pages of The

Newtown Bee .

Working in groups of two to three students per group, each scarecrow-creating

group had to begin the project by researching scarecrows - what they are, what

they are used for, when they were first created, and so forth. Scarecrows,

according to author Valerie Littlewood ( Scarecrow! ), are homemade figures

that have been used around the world to protect precious crops for more than

3,000 years. Scarecrows are very popular figures in legends and horror

stories, responsible for everything from hiding dead bodies and spiriting

children away during the Halloween season to playing host to ghosts and

spirits. Although originally portrayed only as frightening, menacing, sinister

spirits in ancient myths and legends, more recent portrayals have shown

scarecrows to be loyal and friendly companions.

Scarecrows are as individual as those who create them. The figures have been

created by thrifty farmers from giant sheets of corrugated iron, sheets of

plastic, and even old suits of armor.

Through all kinds of weather and all four seasons, scarecrows "stay at their

post, guarding crows from sowing to harvest," wrote Miss Littlewood. In the

spring, scarecrows help protect young corn; in summer, peas and cabbages; and

in autumn and winter, early wheat sowing.

Objectives of the contest were given to the students as follows: To determine

the purpose of a scarecrow, then apply creative strategies to theme and

construction of a larger-than-life scarecrow; to brainstorm ideas of using

different materials in a resourceful and artistic manner, so artistic

impression is realized; to work cooperatively with a partner(s) to achieve the

intended goal; and to further develop time management skills both inside and

outside of school to meet deadline.

The teams were asked to design a scarecrow and submit a sketch to their art

teacher for approval.

There are a few criteria each group's scarecrow must also meet: Each scarecrow

must have something on it that will be able to move by nature (a pinwheel that

moves from the wind, for instance). Each scarecrow must be strong enough to

defy Mother Nature and her wrath for a long weekend.

Each scarecrow must be constructed specifically to banish the demon of the

creators' choice. And each must be larger than life, large enough to be seen

from a passing car.

Construction of the scarecrows has been done on an at-home basis, so the

teachers themselves do not know what to expect for next weekend. Claudia

Clancy and Sue Ward, teachers of the eighth grade gifted art classes, and John

Vorous, the Discovery teacher, have seen only the preliminary sketches from

each group, but admit material and ideas may change during the course of the

project.

"They're very secretive about this," Mrs Ward said last week. "Some of them

are smiling like Cheshire cats when we ask about [the scarecrows]."

Judging will be done for five different categories: science fiction; robotic

(with a scarecrow movable by nature); hero/heroine (from a book, art, people,

etc); organic (where all materials have come from sources that were once

alive); and synthetic (where all materials are man-made).

The ultimate objective of the contest, hopes Discovery instructor John Vouros,

is that after seeing the wonderful creations by the students, by this time

next year, groups of friends, families or clubs around Newtown will be

interested in creating a fantastic scarecrow of their own.

"We hope to spearhead community interest in this undertaking," Mr Vouros said

last week. "It's really very community oriented. It just happens to be

starting at the school."

"We're hoping this will really catch on," added Mrs Clancy. "Maybe students in

the elementary schools or members of gardening clubs would be interested in

participating in something like this. What a wonderful project for Girl

Scouts, or Boy Scouts."

Cost is $1 per vote, with all monies to be donated to the charity of choice by

the first, second and third place winners.

Voting is to take place Saturday and Sunday, October 19-20. Each scarecrow

will have a number assigned to it, and voters are asked to rate their top

three favorite by indicating their choices on ballots provided on-site or in

The Newtown Bee . Middle school students can also pick up ballots in the art

rooms at Newtown Middle School.

To turn in a vote, drop the ballot and $1 in an envelope addressed "To

Shannon" through the mail slot on the front door of The Bee offices (5 Church

Hill Road) by 8 am Monday morning. At that time, all ballots will be

transferred to the school for counting, and a winner will be announced by the

end of the school day.