Date: Fri 06-Nov-1998

Publication: Bee

Author: SHANNO

Quick Words:

scarecrows-Ward-Venus-flytrap

Full Text:

Scarecrows, & Special Lessons, At Newtown Middle School

(with photos)

BY SHANNON HICKS

For the third year in a row, the residents of Newtown offered a strong show of

support for a contest at the middle school that represents the work of a group

of Discovery and gifted art eighth grade students. The public had the

opportunity to see the creativity of some of the town's students, while the

students learned about themselves as individuals, working as a team, and

humanitarianism.

The 3rd Annual Sculpted Scarecrow Contest was held October 24 through November

1. A collection of 25 scarecrows of various shapes, sizes and forms were set

up on the front lawn of Newtown Middle School. The scarecrows had been created

by teams of students, who had spent five weeks researching the purpose of

scarecrows and their design. The teams were challenged not only to create

their own larger-than-life scarecrow, but to also decide on a charity they

would like to help.

The public was invited to vote on its favorite scarecrow. Ballots cost $1

each, and voters are allowed to cast as many votes as they wish, providing

they paid the $1-per-vote fee. At the end of the voting period, the scarecrow

with the highest number of votes was the winner. The money raised through the

voting process was then to be turned over, on behalf of the winning team, to a

charity of the winnings teams' choice.

On Monday, November 2, the winners for the 1998 contest were announced.

Michael Taylor and Maggie Lyon, who created a truly frightening man-eating

Venus flytrap scarecrow, were this year's winners.

There was a tie this year for second place. The team of Anthony Altieri and

Jack Sparacino, and the team of Emily Brolet, Lindsey Hudson-Tolles and

Melissa Heil shared the honors. The boys had made a very tall, very

intimidating-looking tin man scarecrow, while the girls' creation was a

wonderful headless horseman scarecrow, complete with a horse made of hay.

Because of the tie for second place, it was decided to name an additional team

to third place this year, thereby giving four teams the opportunity to donate

money to outside charities. Austin McChord and Brett Boles had developed a

dancing mobile based on a work by the American sculptor Alexander Calder.

"I like the motion of his sculpture," said Austin, who did extensive research

into the artwork of Calder before he and Brett began designing their homage to

the sculptor. "I've always been fascinated with the movement in the things he

does," Austin continued.

With two years' worth of entries to recall, the students involved in the

contest this year were able to draw on past experiences of the students who

went before them. One of the biggest things their teachers had forewarned them

of was to take into account the fact their creations would be on view,

outdoors, for more than a week.

"We knew we couldn't use newspaper," Chris Giacolone said two weeks ago. He

and a number of the students participating had gathered together to discuss

their works-in-progress, and the excitement was immediately evident. Most

teams were nearly finished with their projects, well in advance of their

October 24 due date.

"I think this year's will be even better, sturdier than they have been

before," Chris said.

At that time, much thought had already gone into choosing the charity a team

would be donating to if they were to win. Lindsay Sprung and Courtney Brown

had narrowed their choices down to Save the Children, The Make-A-Wish

Foundation, or towards breast cancer research. There was much talk of donating

money to the American Cancer Society and/or the American Heart Association.

Certainly the most common name that came up was that of Tom Ward, the 13-year

old Newtown boy who has been diagnosed with Ewing's sarcoma, a treatable form

of bone cancer. While this particular cancer is labeled "treatable," Tom and

his family have struggled to contain the disease ever since the diagnosis was

announced last spring. As a town, Newtown has rallied to help the Ward family

with blood drives, aerobics marathons and other events designed to raise money

to help pay some of Tom's medical costs.

"This little town has raised so much money already," one student said a few

weeks ago. "We could still do a lot more."

On Monday, the winning teams made their decisions final. The first place team

will be donating $150 to the Dorothy Day Homeless Shelter in Danbury. Each

second place team has $125 to donate. The tin man's creators plan to put their

money into the Tom Ward Fund, and the headless horseman's creators will be

giving to the Humane Society. And Austin and Brett have decided to give their

money to the American Cancer Society.

"He's one of our classmates," Jack Sparacino said, referring to the donation

he and his teammate will be making to aid Tom Ward. "We think maybe this will

help him some."

In total, the contest this year raised over $460. On a grander scale, however,

with the help of Newtown's citizens, these students have indeed learned some

valuable lessons. They have learned not only the background of scarecrows and

how to work as teams, but how to give of themselves to benefit someone else.