Green Iguana Mural Project

Dan-Last week my 7/8th grade class (total of 6 students) put together a mural for a competition held by a conservation group to bring awareness about saving Green Iguanas. The Green Iguanas are almost extinct on the island because of being killed to eat and loosing their habitat.

In three crazy days the students came up with an idea, gathered materials, then painted, glued, and taped a mural together. I do not feel that I am much of a visual artist so this was way out of my comfort zone. There was as much pushing and pulling to get this done as there was to do any other type of school work, which was challenging for me because I thought there would have been more enthusiasm over "being out of the classroom". In the end the kids took a lot of pride over there work and out of 5 schools that entered we took 2nd place! Very exciting for the students, myself, and the school. The 2nd place prize was 3,000 limperes, about $150. Below is a note that I sent to the parents to describe the project and a short exert from what the kids wrote about the project.

The 7/8th grade class has been furiously busy making a beautiful mural for the Conservacion de la Iguana Verde project, which is sponsored by the Bay Island Conservation Association. This is a competition that many schools around the island are participating in. There is a L5,000 first place price!

We can save the Iguanas by leaving them alone! Let them live free in the wild so they can re-produce more Iguanas. Iguanas are a vital part of our Island’s fragile Ecosystem. They eat fruits such as bananas and plants like trumpet leaves and Hibiscus. They help spread the seeds for many native plants.

Talk to your friends about not eating Iguanas and explain why they are important to the Island. Help save the fragile environment of our Island. Pick-up trash, recycle and re-use materials like plastic bags and bottles. Report to the BICA if you see someone killing or trying to catch Iguanas.

Our mural is made out of all recycled materials. We used every part of plastic water bottles to show that are many ways to re-use materials. Plastic bottles litter the beaches and forest of our Island and contribute to taking away the environment of the Iguanas.