Log College Holds Recyclable Fashion Show

Before you throw away that next soda can or newspaper, take a minute to imagine what it would look like draped across your body as you head out for a night on the town. If you're having trouble picturing it, you can get some help from the students at .

Last Friday, the school put on an assembly on the importance of recycling and taking responsibility for the health of the planet, with the centerpiece of the show featuring approximately 20 models from the middle school showing off dresses and outfits designed by their classmates. 

The idea for the fashion show came from Log College librarian Bridget Gil, who gained inspiration from a similar show at the Neshaminy Mall.

"It started out small," said Gil, "but it got mich bigger after we saw the Neshaminy show."

The assembly kicked off with a skit starring student Jason Halczak as the planet Earth, bemoaning the lack of responsibility that humans had for their home. Classmate Ryan Kinsky and teacher Greg Watkins took the stage to reassure Earth that they would spread the word about the importance of recycling and taking care of the environment.

A slideshow rattled off some important facts about the amount of garbage people in the United States and Pennsylvania produce each year, followed by a song and dance number by teachers Erin Vallalla, William Faehner and Matthew Markey.

Finally, it was time for the models to hit the runway. They strutted their stuff throughout the auditorium, showing off the results of months of hard work and creativity by the designers.

"We gave them a packet of ideas to get them started," said Gil. "They spent three days a week after school putting the outfits together. The rest of the students and teachers worked hard to accumulate enough material. We even got a donation from Home Depot of 25 rolls of duct tape."

Gil values the educational benefits from the project, not only for the designers and models, but also the students in the audience. She hopes it helps them think for a second before putting the plastic bottles in the regular trash bin and instead make the effort to separate them into the recyclable container. But, she also values the secondary lessons that have sprouted from the show.

"They learned a lot about working together," said Gil. "They had to learn how to use sewing machines, write the descriptions for the outfits and manage the materials. And the models gained a lot of self-confidence. At least half of them have really blossomed leading up to this. It has gone a long way to helping them feel more secure with themselves."