High School And Project Ideas

For his High School Science Project, Wooley drove 100 miles west to Red Creek Marsh in Wayne County and harvested a species of cattail known as typha glauca. After bringing the plants home, Wooley planted half in soil and half in water. For three weeks, Wooley fed the plants increasing amounts of lead.

Although their growth was sharply stunted, "I was unable to kill them," Wooley said. Wooley then dried the plants and tested them for lead. He found the highest concentrations in the plants that were fed the most lead. "It indicated cattails have the capability to clean heavy metals" from the environment, Wooley said.

When people walk into town hall for the next few weeks, they will face a lobby full of trash. The "trellis of trash," a 6-foot sculpture of milk cartons, cereal boxes and discarded toys delicately glued to a metal garden trellis, sits just beyond the entrance of town hall. It was built by a group of middle school students as part of a High School Science Project to show the benefits of recycling.

Mark Decker, director of public works, asked the students to put up their project in town hall to educate residents about recycling and the town's transfer station.

"I asked them if they wanted to display it. I went over [to the science fair] and I was impressed by what they did," Decker said.

Katie Moon, 12, one of nine students who made the project for their seventh-grade science fair, said the trellis was built in two weeks and the entire project took a month to complete. "Everybody from the project brought in garbage," Moon said. Katie said the project helps teach a lesson: "That most people don't know that if you don't conserve stuff, it will be gone."

Other students on the Connecticut energy education development project were: Ashley Bjorbekk, Erin Clar, Teresa Gozzo, Melanie Hayn, Chris McIvor, Matt Soby, Sarah Ward and Jennifer Scott.

Decker said he wanted to show the public the kinds of things children do and enlighten residents about the transfer station and recycling.

"How many items on this trash trellis can be recycled? 10? 20?" a sign on the trash trellis asks. Decker said it's a trick question. "All of it," he said. "All of it is reused in some fashion."

Even an old camera and broken toys are reused when they are thrown out because they are brought to trash-to-energy plants where they are recycled into energy.

"How much do you know about the Colchester transfer station? It's not a dump anymore," says another sign hanging on the wall near the trellis.

Another sign explains how the transfer station works in detail. Above that display is a time line on how people disposed of their trash from 500 B.C. to the present.