It is time for Newtown Middle School’s annual Eighth Grade Scarecrow Contest entries to go on display on the front lawn of the school, 11 Queen Street. Residents will vote for their favorite this Saturday and Sunday, October 19 and 20.

Art teacher Leigh Anne Coles, long-term substitute Roxanne Buzinsky, and art teacher Kristen Ladue are overseeing the effort this year.

Reflecting on all of the work the students have shared with her since the project began in September, Ms Coles said on October 8, the scarecrows will be a surprise for the whole community.

“We have 29 participating groups this year,” Ms Coles said.

Money is raised through members of the public voting for their favorite scarecrow. The money is divided between the top three winning student groups, who then donate the money to their chosen charities.

For the contest, eighth grade students are tasked to work in groups to create a larger-than-life scarecrow that can withstand Mother Nature. Students can work alone, but they are encouraged to work in groups. Over the years, many different types of scarecrows have been designed, built, and put on display on the front lawn of the school for the public. Once the scarecrows are on display, voting opens. Members of the public are asked to vote for their favorite scarecrow, as many times as they want, with a corresponding $1 donation per vote.

Last school year, the effort raised more than $1,500 for local charities. As reported by The Newtown Bee last year, two groups tied for third placed. Each group earned $196.50 to donate to a charity. “The Genie” from Disney’s Aladdin, or scarecrow 30 — created by Paige Armstrong, Madison Singlak, Addie Sullivan, and Annabel Saunders — tied with “Save the Turtles,” or scarecrow five — created by Ayla Ryder, Angie Romano, and Katie Daoust. In second place, the “CD Fish,” or scarecrow 27 — created by Cate Dalton, Allie Kost, Kayleigh Troy, and Skylar Lewis — earned $393 to donate to a local charity. In first place, the “Back to the Future DeLorean and Marty McFly,” or scarecrow one, by Adam Uhde and Alamin Islam earned $786 to donate to a local charity.

Groups are encouraged to limit spending to $30 per scarecrow. Eighth grade Art Enrichment students must participate in the project, and other students can volunteer as well, as previously reported.

The scarecrows are expected to be set up at the school on Friday, October 18, the day before voting will be open to the public.

Once the scarecrows are on display, voting will be open to the public October 19 and 20. Students will oversee the ballot collection and earn community service hours for their time.

“It’s a fun way to work with friends and give back to the community,” Ms Coles said.

Ballots will be available at the school, and a copy of the ballot is available with this story to cut out and submit with the $1 donation in the October 18 print edition of The Newtown Bee. Residents can also print this story by clicking the "print" button above, which will print the entire story with the ballot, which can then be cut out from the story. Vote 9 am to 5 pm on both days at the school, 11 Queen Street, or drop off votes in The Newtown Bee’s letter slot in the front door of its 5 Church Hill Road office, with the envelopes marked “NMS Scarecrows,” by the end of Sunday, October 20.

The top three winning scarecrows from the contest will be announced at the school and in The Newtown Bee.

While Ms Coles did not want to give too much away about this year’s scarecrow creations, she said roughly 100 students have been working on a number of ideas. Some of the 29 groups have taken inspiration from television shows, others looked to video games for ideas, and some are choosing to promote a message or make a statement.

Every year, the scarecrows surprise and delight the many residents who drive by or swing by the school to walk among the creations.