Team 5-3 of the Samsel Upper Elementary School participated in the "Unless" Contest sponsored by the Philadelphia Zoo.  The students were challenged to create an awareness campaign about endangered orangutans.  Through their hard work and dedication to the cause, the students were able to spread the word in newspapers, on a website, in the community, and to each person in our school.  Students sponsored a "Change for Change" Drive in which they raised $396.00.  The money was used towards adopting three orangutans from the Orangutan Outreach Foundation as well as towards purchasing eight pieces of artwork painted by orangutans from the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo.  The orangutan artwork and adoption certificates are on display outside the main office of the SUES.  Students also researched companies that are members of the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO).  Through their research, they collected labels from products that do not use palm oil that destroys the rainforest homes of the orangutans.  Students created orangutan cutout collages that were part of a wall mural and they were also displayed as part of the contest.  The students worked from December through February on projects relating to the cause and enlisted the help of 18 classes in our school.  Some of the additional project highlights include attaching an orangutan awareness label to girl scout cookies, creating news broadcasts about orangutans, Photoshop pictures of each student in the rainforest holding a product from an RSPO company, orangutan Animoto videos, a message on our public access channel in Sayreville, a message on our school sign, grocery bags decorated for ShopRite, letters written to companies encouraging RSPO membership, and orangutan paper mache masks.  Their amazing campaign was submitted at the end of February for review by the Green Panel of judges from the Philadelphia Zoo.  After judging the 3,000 students from 83 different schools, Team 5-3 was the Grand Prize winner of the contest.  The students won $2,500! 

Ms. Ust created a website featuring the project.  Samsel Saves Orangutans

Link to Philadelphia Zoo Website's Contest page

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