The Rainforest Is In Trouble

Artist in Residency
OKEMO COMMUNITY CHALLENGE GRANT

In March 2008 the PuppeTree collaborated with the 8 th grade World Language classes taught by Barbara Sirotkin, at a Middle School in Vermont to produce a musical puppet show called “The Rainforest is in Trouble and That’s NOT a Good Thing”

This program was made possible by an Okemo Community Challenge Grant. Contributing artists included Creaturiste Creature Making and the 6 th grade art class under the direction of Ms. Janiszyn. the Vocational Tech instructor, Mr. Wyer, generously donated his classroom for the performances. We also received help from the Physical Education teacher, History department and Librarian. We all thank the principal of the school for her support of this project. The script with three original songs were written and recorded by Barbara Sirotkin, World Language Teacher.

Our Mission:

“Learning foreign languages is not just about communication. It is about becoming aware of the world around you, understanding the importance of community involvement and the issues we all must face. It is about learning to share ideas and cooperate with one another to achieve goals and to help make the world a better place.” –Barbara Sirotkin

The devastation of rainforest is a global problem that relates to climate change, the destruction of animal and plant habitat, the gradual disappearance of ancient tribes and our ecosystem in general. This production enabled students as well as parents to become aware of the importance of the preservation of these rain forests and to make them more environmentally conscious.

This was a cross-curriculum project that taught geography, language, theatre, art, music, movement, and ecology. The eight grade Spanish and French students initially did detailed research on the rainforests, their location and their ecological makeup. The show was presented to local elementary school students followed by a question and answer discussion by the students with the audience.

So what can we do to save the Rainforest?

One person alone would have little power, but if all of us got together and combined our voices; we would have more power to help prevent deforestation. Talk to others about what you have learned. Stay informed! Ask where things come from. Avoid buying wood products from the rainforest. Connect with Biogems.org and you can contact the governments that make the decisions.

The PuppeTree was proud to participate in helping students become aware of the world around them, understand the importance of community involvement and the issues we all face. As a matter of fact, this was an exceptional school with a gifted staff of teachers!

Making the puppets