Dear secondary parents and guardians,
As we approach our end of the 2024/25 academic year, many of our secondary have been busily completing a number of notable initiatives. One such initiative is the “Waste to Art 🎨” MYP Community Project by 9A students Maryam Al-Muselhi, Malak AL-Balushi and Zulfa Al-Balushi.
I recently caught up with the girls following their Waste to Art Exhibition earlier this week. The following is a summary of the interview. Enjoy!
Mr. Ibrahim: Salamu alaikum, girls! Thank you for taking a moment to discuss your amazing project with me! Waste to Art is a very powerful concept. Can you tell me how it came about?
Girls: Our idea was to present and teach about waste and how it harms both us and the environment by engaging students in fun, hands-on activities using waste materials.
Mr. Ibrahim: That’s an honourable idea. Can you take a moment to explain why you chose this focus for your MYP Community Project?
Girls: Since we’ve often been called creative and artistic by others, we decided to take that talent and create something not only imaginative, but also useful and enjoyable for our society. We constantly noticed bottles and plastic waste scattered all around our school, which made us think: “How can we turn this waste into something creative instead of just letting it remain as useless rubbish?” That’s when the idea hit us… Let’s transform this so-called trash into something fun, functional, and inspiring. Rather than seeing it as waste, we saw it as an opportunity to turn rubbish into a creative and meaningful project.
Mr. Ibrahim: So you wanted to bring the adage “One person’s trash is another person’s treasure” into action, right?
Girls: Exactly! We planned to present on waste and how it negatively affects our government by increasing costs, harming public health, and damaging the environment. To make our message more meaningful, we organised fun and creative activities where students used waste materials to make useful artistic items. For grades KG1-2, students were given boards with outlined drawings of animals, and they will use bottle caps, cotton, paint, or any other materials to creatively decorate them. Students in Grades 3 and 4 were given the freedom to create anything they like using waste, such as turning water bottles into monsters, flowers, or animals. For Grades 5 and 6, the activity was more challenging: each class will be assigned a specific animal to create using only waste materials.
Mr. Ibrahim: This all sounds amazing, ma shaa Allah! How did you conclude the event?
Girls: The event concluded with a friendly competition between boys and girls in each grade, where we acted as judges and choose the most creative and well-crafted animal. The event honestly went very well. We’re happy to say that students enjoyed it and learned during the process. So Alhamdulilah.
Mr. Ibrahim: As one who attended and took a few pictures of the event, I can definitely say that the event went very well! You should be proud of your efforts, girls!
Girls: Thanks, Mr. Ibrahim!
Mr. Ibrahim: You deserve it! Take care, girls.
Best regards,
Ibrahim Abd Rahman
Secondary Team Lead