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LIIDLII KUE/FORT SIMPSON
Polar bears, castles, flowers and teepees were among the objects created during an art challenge at Bompas Elementary School last month.

Class 5 at Bompas Elementary School in Fort Simpson won the Green Shoe Award for making the best recycled artwork during Earth Week. The artists included, from left, Zehro'h Catholique-Waugh, Akhil Damodharan, Reanna Auger, Trenton Diamond'C, Chasity Isaiah, teacher Travis MacQuarrie, Lee Isaiah-Marcellais and Thaddeus Kotchea. - Roxanna Thompson/NNSL photo

While those subjects are often seen in art, what was unique was what each piece was made from. As part of its Earth Week celebrations, the Fort Simpson school held its second recyclable art challenge from April 23 to 27.

Each class had the week to design and build an artwork out of recyclables. Each piece was judged on its creativity and variety of recyclables used.

Class 5 won the cultural award as well as the overall Green Shoe Award for its sculpture that included a teepee, fish drying over a fire, and a person.

"I really like it. It's pretty good," said Zehro'h Catholique-Waugh, who helped build the structure.

The students in the class brainstormed and then voted on what they wanted to make. They all agreed they wanted to make something large and the top two ideas were a tree or a teepee.

After the teepee won in popularity, the students got started. The design was gradually elaborated to include two fire pits, the dry fish and a person.

Materials included egg cartons, cardboard boxes, newspapers, toilet rolls and pop cans.

Catholique-Waugh helped colour the ground green and cut out letters to spell, "Respect the planet," He also came up with the idea of putting a fire pit inside the teepee.

Catholique-Waugh said he was surprised by what could be made out of recyclables. Next year, he wants to build a volcano.

"I think every class got into the recycling challenge," said Kelley Andrews-Klein, who organized the school's Earth Week activities.

Class 2, which Andrews-Klein teaches, chose to make a flower. They worked together, choosing which materials to use and drawing a design. After Andrews-Klein hot-glued the sculpture together, the students painted it.

"They had lots of fun," she said.

The recyclables art challenge was just one part of the school's Earth Week activity line-up. On April 24, the students sang Earth-themed songs at an assembly and on the next they filled approximately 10 large garbage bags with trash they found in the school's yard.

During the week, students who take the bus were dropped off at the Visitor Information Centre in the morning and walked the rest of the way to the school accompanied by teachers.

"They were pretty positive about it," Andrews-Klein said.

The activities throughout the week were all about raising awareness of what youths can do to address environmental issues, encouraging co-operation and cleaning up the community, she said.

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