Avon Middle School Students Turn Trash into Schoolwork

Avon Middle School students get an A in creative results from dumpster diving as they turned recyclable materials into useable objects as part of a seventh-grade science project.

The students then got to show off their work in red-carpet shows during classes. From the functional to the funky, the projects ran the gamut. There were several tables and chairs made. Chairs had to be sat on and each table had to hold five school textbooks to prove their sturdiness.

The project is designed not only to coincide with Earth Day, said teacher Renee White, but also as a fun way to keep the kids engaged in the final days before spring break.

At least 60 percent of the materials used in the projects had to be recycled. Students used items like soda can tabs, sports drink bottles, cardboard, bubble wrap and shopping bags. Avon-based donated about 40 rolls of its duct tape, in colors ranging from classic silver to bright teal and pink, for students to use. Katie Trifiletti and Jenny Kocel used the teal and pink to cover the cardboard top on their table, and also used duct tape to secure the plastic bottle legs to the top.

Each class had winning entries, with students from the winning group getting prizes such as gift certificates from local businesses including and .