My students need a drone, printer with ink, paint and 3D printing supplies needed to create a portable 3D mural on the dangers of Ocean Debris to the entire region of Cape Cod.
Imagine being recognized as successful artists in middle school and being given the opportunity to build a 3D mural on a community problem. But once you build a budget to take your small art project to a larger scale you realize there are not enough funds to make it a reality.
Science classes, an after school art club, and a community service club are working together to clean up our beaches and showcase why it is important to water quality.
We will be using photography, painting, and ocean debris to showcase real ways to limit our footprint on the environment of Cape Cod. This is an expansion of traditional course work done each year. In the past 6th and 7th grade students have studied water through water quality testing and beach cleanups then created posters on the topic to hang in the hallway. In 2014, we expanded by creating hands-on projects and videos that focused on water quality. High quality work was later shared at the Celebrate Our Waters weekend. Community members commented on how good the work was and suggested some of the small scale posters be combined into a large scale 3D mural. We spoke to the town and have received permission to complete this project, but there is no funding for the actual project.
My Project
The prototype was an Operation Ocean Rescue board game based on an Operation game. Students painted an underwater scene, 3D printed animals, and used actual trash as game pieces to showcase the devastating effects of ocean debris on Cape Cod. This project won a technology in action grant that purchased a professional 3D printer. Then a local group asked if we could recreate these projects on a larger scale as part of a community art project planned for summer 2016. We want to participate but do not have the funds to replicate the projects on a larger scale. Since this is based off an actual prototype we know what supplies are needed. The supplies requested will be used to create the actual mural and share photographs of the dangers of ocean debris.
Project based learning is the most effective in creating conservation minded young people.
The students' work was in the paper and on the community access channel, but those were short periods of exposure, and in the end the prototype project will eventually be trashed. Our goal is that the learning behind it isn't. The art project will be lasting, just like the actual debris in the ocean is. Each time students see it prominently displayed they will remember why water quality is so important.
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As a teacher-founded nonprofit, we're trusted by thousands of teachers and supporters across the country. This classroom request for funding was created by Mrs. Jackson and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.
