Students Initiate Recycling Education

LENDLEASE INSPIRES STUDENTS TO REACH FOR THE SKY

In October, students had the opportunity to learn about how skyscrapers are built from a team of wonderful volunteers from Lendlease, an international property and infrastructure group with core expertise in shaping cities and creating strong and connected communities.

In each classroom, the volunteers read the story of “Up! Up! Up! Skyscraper” by Anastasia Suen, and gave every child a copy of the book to take home. They showed a time-lapse video of a skyscraper being built, which inspired a wide range of questions from the children, and they even worked together to build their own “skyscrapers” as a team using wooden blocks donated by Lendlease.

It was an exciting morning for all, and we couldn’t be more grateful to Esther Leon-Wales, Grant Gagnier, and the entire team at Lendlease for the enthusiasm they brought to this activity, and for the excitement and curiosity they inspired in the children.

The morning was part of the Lendlease Community Foundation’s “Community Day,” an annual event where Lendlease employees around the world volunteer their time and skills to make a difference in their communities. The tradition began in 1996 and has grown to include more than 350 different community projects each year across Australia, the Americas, Asia and Europe.

#WeAreParkside

Parkside was honored to be one of the beneficiaries of this wonderful tradition at Lendlease. It was an inspiring morning for the students, who loved the interaction with construction professionals. As COVID-19 took its toll on New York, the world was changing by the day, if not by the minute. Our school community came together online to share what they were doing for self-care during such an

unprecedented time.

Logan’s family frequently has dance parties (aka movement breaks) to shake the cabin fever out. HIs favorite move: flossing!

Zoe is embracing her art, and is becoming quite the chef, during all of this extra time at home! Way to go, Chef Zoe! Pancakes, anyone?

Parkside Mom Noemi says “During this time at home I’m busier than ever but I try to steal some time and do my needlepoint project.”

STUDENTS INITIATE RECYCLING EDUCATION

Summer Camp at Parkside is an extension of the school year, with a heightened focus on field trips, outdoor time, and exploring the city we live in. After participating in Parkside’s first-ever debate in 2019, where Class 5-2 argued for and against eliminating the use of plastic utensils at Parkside, a group of students in summer honed in on their interest in recycling.

Wanting to learn more about how recycling actually works, the students asked to go on a field trip. With the help of Ms. White, one of Parkside’s Speech Therapists, they found the Sims Municipal Recycling Center in Sunset Park, and signed up for a free tour. During the tour, students explored the plant’s educational center, and got to visit the plant’s main recycling room and see the machinery that sorts the recyclables. In hearing about the machinery, they learned that single-use plastic utensils, although they are technically recyclable, often can’t actually be recycled because they are too small for the machines and fall through the gaps, rendering them useless. This was a strong reinforcement of the outcome of the March debate which supported banning plastic utensils at school!

As part of the tour, the group discussed the different colored bins at home and school, and which materials should be deposited into which bins. They were surprised to learn that many items are commonly sorted incorrectly before they ever make it to the recycling center, and by the time the class had returned to Parkside, the students had started planning to make posters to educate their peers and teachers about what items to place in each bin. One student noted, “No one reads signs. We have to make our own so that people notice them.”

Another encouraged his classmates to take their effort one step further, saying “We could make a video about recycling. Made for kids, by kids!” And they did. As the 2019-2020 school year started at Parkside, 5-2’s Guide to Recycling Video was being circulated around the school in an effort to improve recycling habits school wide. With support and guidance from Ms. White and their teachers, the students wrote detailed scripts, created props, and recorded a very informative educational video.

Ms. White said, “The most amazing part of this whole project was that the students initiated it all. Following on from the debate, they were so motivated to learn more and to share this knowledge to help others. It was really exciting to see their interest in recycling and their motivation to make positive change in their school community. They’ve helped to kick-start more awareness at Parkside, and while many of them have now graduated, they took their enthusiasm to their new schools as proud Parkside alumni.”