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Students Unite To Help Earth

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By JOSE PATINO GIRONA

The Tampa Tribune

Published: April 24, 2008

Updated: 04/24/2008 12:14 am

TAMPA - Terry Senhauser stood on a stage at Al Lopez Park with his acoustic guitar and his Nelson Elementary fourth-graders standing at his side.

He played the melody to the 1980s hit song "Kids in America" by Kim Wilde - made popular again by the Jonas Brothers, who use the same melody for their "Kids of the Future."

Senhauser's students then sang the chorus to their version: "We're the Kids of Earth Force, wooh. Everybody help the environment now."

The youngsters were celebrating Mother Earth at the eighth annual Suncoast Earth Force Youth Summit, which drew an estimated 600 elementary and middle school students from Hillsborough, Pinellas and Pasco counties to the park Wednesday.

"This pumps them up," said Scott Willis, Suncoast Earth Force executive director.

"They see there are other students doing things similar to them," he said. "There is bonding."

At the summit, held a day after the worldwide Earth Day celebrations, classes sang songs, acted in skits and read poems they wrote about the environment. They also met with representatives from area agencies to learn about water and air quality, and various species and animals.

The nonprofit Suncoast Earth Force trains public and private school teachers to incorporate environmental lessons in their class work. The organization's staff helps students and teachers pursue projects throughout the school year.

Students at Maniscalco Elementary in Lutz received a $2,000 grant from the Southwest Florida Water Management District to buy benches for a boardwalk near the school.

They also have been picking up trash and cans at a nearby wetland area.

Maniscalco fifth-grader Sami Mulder said the environmental education helps.

"The more people will know about it, the more people will help recycle and clean up," she said.

Shelby Davis, a fourth-grader at Nelson Elementary in Dover, said she wasn't up to speed with the environment until Senhauser's math and science classes.

"Before I didn't care as much as I do now," she said. "I didn't realize pollution could damage so many things."

She and her classmate Abi Smith, both 10, helped write the lyrics for "We're the Kids of Earth Force."

"I think the song is very encouraging to kids," Abi said. "Songs and music and stars have an influence on kids."

Reporter Jose Patino Girona can be reached at (813) 835-2110 or jpatino@tampatrib.com.

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