“upcycling” project at ISW – Year 8 raises money for animal shelter

On Thursday 27th May, our Year 8’s held an “upcycling” sale which raised 240€ for a local animal shelter. Upcycling is basically reusing discarded objects in such a way as to create a new product with the focus upon extending the lifespan and minimalizing waste.

This sale was the result of four months of hard work in creating new items from old clothing and is currently one of three personal projects being held by Year 8 students this year. The initial idea to focus upon “upcycling” came from the head of secondary, Adrian Scarlett, whom discussed with our students the impact of our current clothing industry upon the environment. This caused so much enthusiasm amongst our students that at too soon, sewing machines were to be found in the classroom creating a range of goods from aprons, stuffed animals, pillows and shopping bags.

As Patricia Follman, their teacher explained “students were quite shocked at how much wastage is being created by the clothing industry. Many already shop at shrift stores and were more than happy to try their hand at creating heir own lines of products”. As Patty states, “So many skills were developed through this project – teamwork, social interaction, creativity, environmental awareness but also business and marketing skills in actually selling their range.

Well done year 8 on an excellent job!

Patricia Follman Year 7-8, English and social studies, ISW