Patricia Smith

Smith's "Ts for Trees" is a project in which seventh-graders promote environmental awareness and reduce the use of paper and plastic shopping bags by converting unwanted T-shirts into reusable shopping bags and studying environmental issues in core classes. The T-shirts are distributed free in the community, raising community awareness of environmental issues. Students use computer and Internet technology as they improve their knowledge of core subjects (science, math, communication arts, and social studies) and build their skills in gathering, analyzing, and applying information, communication, and problem solving. Their information is also shared with other schools via the Internet.