Grades 5/6: Service Council Contest Takes on Trash
Following their adventure in sorting trash on the Graland campus last December, 5/6 Service Council members challenged middle schoolers to create and code a computer game that will help educate other students about the differences between trash, recycling and composting. This week, three entries were reviewed and judged, with a cash prize on the line for best concept and execution. After ideas were presented to the service council and adults on campus this week, Freddy Kneip (5) was awarded for his game, “Garbage Master.”
Following their adventure in sorting trash on the Graland campus last December, 5/6 Service Council members challenged middle schoolers to create and code a computer game that will help educate other students about the differences between trash, recycling and composting. This week, three entries were reviewed and judged, with a cash prize on the line for best concept and execution. After ideas were presented to the service council and adults on campus this week, Freddy Kneip (5) was awarded for his game, “Garbage Master.”
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The idea for the contest came after council members learned firsthand that trash is not being tossed correctly into our campus bins. When the recycling bin and compost bin are contaminated with the wrong material, the entire load has to be sent to the landfill, according to Aaron Murray, science teacher and sustainability coordinator.
“When we sorted the trash, we found out that most of it was in the wrong bin,” explains Ilsa Borgen (5). “We put out a coding challenge to everyone in the middle school to help inform kids what to recycle, what to throw away and what can be composted.”
Entries were judged on three areas, says service council advisor, Christi James:
- Content: Does the game provide the correct information about sorting trash into the three categories?
- Coding: Does the game operate correctly?
- Appeal: Is the game engaging and interesting for users?
Freddy’s “Garbage Master” game was created using the Tynker app. Judges appreciated the sophisticated coding involved in creating the game, which allows users to drag and drop a large assortment of trash items into one of three bins. A “ding” sound means the item was correctly sorted; a “gong” sound means try again. He tested it with 17 users to get feedback before presenting his game to the judges.
“I really hate when garbage goes in the wrong place,” Freddy says. “I had a lot of fun creating this game to help teach the right way to throw things away. It’s a timed game, but you are trying to beat your own time because it’s really for education.”
Thank you to these students who also accepted the challenge and submitted entries for judging:
Maria Storch (7) “Item Sort”
Liam McKee (5) and Zander Young (5) “Trash Game”
Thank you to these contest judges:
Members of 5/6 Service Council
Aaron Murray
Bob Elisha
David Taylor
L Stevenson
Christi James
Graland Country Day School
Graland Country Day School is a private school in Denver, Colorado, serving students in preschool, kindergarten, elementary, and middle school. Founded in Denver in 1927, Graland incorporates a rich, experiential learning approach in a traditional classroom setting, emphasizing the development of globally and socially conscious leaders who excel academically.
