BY MICHELLE MILLER
STAFF WRITER
One person’s junk may be
another person’s outfit.
On April 10, beginning at
3 p.m., MCS students will
showcase wearable art that
they have made or embellished
themselves during a
``Go Green’’ Fashion Show.
Students will be wearing
items made from recycled
and waste materials including
book covers, soda can
pop tops, packaging materials
and men’s ties.
The eco-friendly event,
which will be held at the
school, is being sponsored by
the MCS Education Foundation,
Inc. (MEF) at the close
of Earth Festival 2010. Tickets
are $10 per person or $60 for
a table of eight. Fashion show
proceeds will benefit MEF
programs.
MCS art students have also
been collaborating to create
eco-art sculptures. Found
objects were brought to the
art classroom where, under
the tutelage of high school
art teacher Jeanne Knowles,
students brainstormed and
recycled these discarded
and unwanted objects into
masterpieces. Their sculptures
will serve as table
centerpieces at the fashion
show and can be previewed
Friday evening, April 9, when
Earth Festival activities kick
off at 6:30 p.m. with a free
Family Movie Night showing
of ``Wall.E.’’
The MCS Class of 2014 will
also host an eco-friendly car
wash at the school during
Earth Festival. The cost
per car will be $5, and all
proceeds from the car wash
will benefit Relay For Life,
a division of the American
Cancer Society. According to
organizers, students will employ
``bioremediation’’ strategies
as they clean the cars,
making sure the water runs
into the grass to perk and
away from any storm drains
or streams. Oil socks and
phosphate-free detergent
will be used to further lessen
the environmental impact.
Equipment and supplies were
donated by Pressure Washing
Services, Inc. of Milford.
Earth Festival is in its fifth
year. Earth Festival is an
environmentally focused,
interactive event featuring
exhibits, workshops, vendors,
food and entertainment, all
with a fun, earth-friendly
twist, according to organizers.
This year, MCS students
will lead activity stations and
seminar series for children
throughout the day. Seminars
will focus on renewable energy,
natural gas and energy
conservation. Cooperstown
Farmers’ Market vendors
will be on hand selling fresh
spring flowers, a variety
of flavored fresh sprouts
and micro greens, organic
meats, cheeses, baked
goods, and crafts and the
popular Styrofoam collection
and shredding service
will return.
Earth Festival 2010 is
sponsored by the Otsego
County Conservation Association
(OCCA) and Wildlife
Learning Company and is
funded in part by the Bezos
Family Foundation. Those
interested in attending
the seminar series, exhibiting
or making a financial
contribution should call the
OCCA at 547-4488 or e-mail
admin@occainfo.org. For
more information on the
``Go Green’’ Fashion Show,
or to make reservations, call
286-7721, extension 8408.
The purpose of MEF
is to provide innovative
programs and resources
designed to enhance the
education experience and
opportunities within the
MCS district. The three main
branches of the Foundation
are: MISSION (Meaningful
Investments for Student
Solutions in Our Neighborhood),
which is a studentrun
philanthropy group that
focuses on education and
service learning with a community
and environmental
focus; SouthofCooperstown.
com, which focuses on student
entrepreneurial education
and hands-on business
experience through
a student run web-based
business and the Richard
Bates Scholarship, promoting
education for students
interested in mathematics
and science.
