Emerson School Conservation Club Celebrates Earth Day in Style

by Amanda Tolman, Emerson Elementary PTA Publicity Chair

Emerson Elementary School Conservation Club, whose members call themselves Earth Ambassadors, created and participated in the fifth annual “Trashion” Fashion show during the lunch period on Wednesday, April 22, in celebration of Earth Day. “Models” - which included eight club members and six Emerson teachers - walked the runway showing off their original designer outfits crafted from recyclable and reusable material.

In addition, the Earth Ambassadors sold handmade fashion accessories crafted from recyclable materials and raised $165 to donate to SCARCE (School and Community Assistance for Recycling and Composting Education), a local organization focused on protecting our natural resources and building sustainable communities.

Emerson School Conservation Club is led by first-grade teacher Caryl Witt and has been active at Emerson and in the community since 2009.

The club began as a way to educate children about issues concerning the environment and to encourage them to become more involved in conservation efforts. In 2014, they were responsible for introducing a recycling pilot program to the Elmhurst City Centre business district. They have also written to NASA about space junk, written to President Obama about land use, and they helped bring the outdoor classroom to Emerson School.

Photo 1- front row, from left: Amanda Calabrese (first grade), Xochitl Pena (first grade), Oliver Pena (second grade) and Ben Galarza (third grade); back row, from left: Alice Moyle (second grade) and Jackson Moran (second grade)

Photo 2- Danyn McDermott (second grade) and Elyssa Hall (first grade)

Photo 3 - Joseph Zbiegiel (first grade), Avery Kendrick (fourth grade), Elyssa Hall (first grade), Eden George (fourth grade), Daria Marzec (third grade), Ava Jordanof (first grade), Emma Horwitz (second grade) and Danyn McDermott (second grade)

Photo 4 - Emma Horwitz (second grade), Avery Kendrick (fourth grade), Eden George (fourth grade), Elyssa Hall (first grade), Daria Marzec (third grade) and Danyn McDermott (second grade)

Photo 5 - Anne Quebbemann (Spanish ELL), Lou Smeja (long-term substitute, fourth grade), Tom Walker (art), Sandy Wenig (second grade), Kate Cortez (ELL) and Elizabeth Kawa (second grade)

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