Fifth Graders Win Pinecrest Gardens Environmental Art Contest

Ms. Olympia Schneider’s fifth-grade science students won the Pinecrest Gardens 6th Annual Environmental Art Contest for grades 4-6 for their depiction of “Wings of the Tropics.”

Alexia Fernandez, Tucker Franklin, Nas Khan, Karla Memmen, Ryu Miki, Zoe Mitrogiannia, Brett Packman, Jacob Polga, Vikram Sebastian, and Ralphy Villoldo teamed up to create a piece of art inspired by the nature that represents “Wings of the Tropics.”

After spending time brainstorming, the students decided on Ralphy’s idea that featured a yellow and blue Macaw with its wings extended. One wing supports a healthy flourishing rainforest, while the other wing supports a burned and desolated rainforest to demonstrate the dichotomy of what humans are doing to the environment. The final piece was created by members of the group each contributing to various components of the paper collage.

Opportunities like the Pinecrest Gardens Environmental Art Contest allow students to combine two areas of interest, in this case, science and visual arts. As students work toward realizing their passions and potential, they are simultaneously identifying and bringing awareness to real-world problems.