Date: Fri 31-Oct-1997

Publication: Bee

Author: MICHEL

Quick Words:

scarecrow-contest-vandalism

Full Text:

Vandals Fail To Spook Scarecrow Contest

(with cuts)

BY MICHELE HOGAN

Despite vandalism, the scarecrow contest will go on as planned through

Saturday.

Most of the 30 dramatic scarecrows created by Newtown Middle School students

involved in the eighth-grade Discovery and gifted art programs were knocked

over and broken apart on Tuesday evening.

Sally Harris, Discovery Program teacher at the middle school, said that "some

students were philosophical about the destruction, others were upset. It took

them six weeks to make them."

Students had researched the purpose of a scarecrow, then, in small teams,

designed and created an original, larger-than-life scarecrow that could "defy

Mother Nature."

The scarecrows, most of which were installed by the students on the front lawn

of the middle school in the pouring rain on the morning of Saturday, October

25, stood up fine to Mother Nature.

However, few remained unscathed by intentional damage inflicted upon them.

Student Melanie Murphy said that Sunday and Monday she and her teammates had

to repair minor damage to their scarecrow, but on Tuesday, October 28, the

damage was too extensive to repair. The students dismantled it.

Monica Defeo, mother of one of the artists, stopped by to help a group of

students with repair efforts early on Wednesday morning. She said, "I guess

some kids have nothing better to do than to wreck someone else's things."

Matt Pachniuk, Mark Defeo and Ryan Walker managed to repair their scarecrows,

then went on to piece together other ones that had been damaged.

Claudia Clancy, art teacher at the middle school, said that her first-period

class went out with hammers and made a tremendous effort to do repairs on the

remaining scarecrows.

All in all, middle school students restored, as best they could, 29 of the 30

scarecrows.

The public can still vote in the scarecrow contest through November 1. Drop by

the school, see the scarecrows, and vote with the ballot on page A17 of The

Bee this week.

Four Teens Charged

Police report they charged four 17-year-old youths each with one count of

second-degree criminal mischief in connection with the scarecrow vandalism.

The arrests were made about 9:15 pm Tuesday. Second-degree criminal mischief

involves vandalism resulting in damages somewhere between $250 and $1,500.

Charged were: Eric Dawe of Madison Drive; Alexander Federov of High Rock Road;

Eric Bezler of Wiley Road; and Emily DeCosta of Key Rock Road.

Police released the youths into the custody of their parents. Each youth is

scheduled to appear November 13 in Danbury Superior Court.

Not to be deterred by the destruction, Mrs Harris says contest organizers plan

to expand the event next year. All eighth-grade students will be invited to

participate and will be able to use the scarecrow creation as an art project.

Mrs Harris went on to say that it is hoped that one day, the scarecrow contest

will be run by the students and open to all members of the community.