Students Create Sea Turtle From Garbage Collected at Local Beaches

Hampton Bays Middle School sixth-grade students recently sculpted a large leatherback sea turtle from garbage collected along local East End beaches.

The sculpture was part of an effort to incorporate STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art and mathematics) into every day classroom lessons, as well as to bring awareness to marine pollution.

As part of their lesson on local sea life, the sixth-graders visited the Peconic Bay, Shinnecock Bay and ocean beaches where they collected plastic garbage.

Upon returning to the classroom, the students sorted and weighed the trash by type before using it to create the garbage art.

The garbage turtle, nicknamed ‘gurtle’ by the students, was created by the students with assistance of local artist Carolyn Munaco and teachers Rick Nydegger, Pam Renna and Jim Waring.

“The students choose the leatherback turtle as their ambassador to help bring awareness to marine pollution, in particular ’plastics’,” Waring said.

Photo courtesy of the Hampton Bays School District

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