St. Pete STEM students transform recyclable plastics into new treasures
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - Maybe you've forgotten about Blockbuster Video DVD cases, but to St. Pete middle school teacher Rick Cochrane and his students, those DVD cases are gold.
"We just need the cases, not the DVD’s. We'd love to take them off your hands and turn them into something cool," said Cochrane.
Cochrane's sixth and seventh grade students don't even know what Blockbuster was because they were born after its time. But, the STEM students at Admiral Farragut Academy in St. Petersburg are the only ones in the country with their own plastic recycling factory.
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They recycle plastic from beginning to end.
They shred and heat the plastic, put it into molds and create colorful beaded jewelry, carabiner clips and even sunglasses. It’s hands-on learning.
"This is all about getting the kids involved in a meaningful way," said Cochrane. "When they have something they can hold onto, and they can touch, we get a lot more buy-in and that's really what STEM is all about."
He developed the program from his research on open source methods and machines used for recycling in emerging nations. The success of the curriculum can be seen in the faces and imaginations of kids in the class.
"I want to work with NASA or create my own company similar to Elon Musk," said middle school student Claire Feeney.
They go out and clean up waterfronts, collecting their own plastic, and they get donations of DVD cases.
"My big goal with this project is to grow it and get it in other schools. If every school had a little recycling center, I think that could be a big impact," Cochrane said.
Impact may be what's needed most in classrooms. If kids can turn trash into treasure, just think what they can do when they grow up.
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