Three Newtown eighth-graders won bragging rights and a donation for their favorite charity with their whimsical entry in the Newtown Middle School Scarecrow Project contest.
Ali Manfredi, Emily Neave and Julia Sughrue, the winning team, received the most votes for their scarecrow constructed to look like an Apple iPhone.
The scarecrows constructed by 40 teams of eighth-graders were on display in front of the school in October. Town residents voted for their favorite scarecrow by donating one dollar per vote.
The contest fund-raiser in October was cut short by Hurricane Sandy, lest the scarecrows blew away, but still raised $1,400.
Ali, Emily and Julia designated the Make-a-Wish Foundation as their beneficiary charity. Art teacher Arlene Spoonfeather said the second and third place winners donated to the local food bank and the Alzheimer’s foundation.
The girls decided to fashion their scarecrow after the popular Apple smartphone as a canny play for the public’s favor.
“We all thought, ‘What’s the biggest thing,’ because we had to get the most votes. And what’s bigger than the iPhone?” Ali said.
The contest rules required them to limit the cost of their scarecrow to under $30, so they found recyclable materials to use in its construction.
She said they made it look like a white iPhone instead of the more common black model because they thought white would stand out more.
The winners were announced over the morning intercom announcements at the school about a week ago.
“We were really excited when we heard we won, because it meant we could donate to our choice of charity,” Ali said.
They picked Make-a-Wish because it helped children with cancer.
The girls received the Board of Education’s recognition at its meeting Tuesday, where they thanked the local community for giving them support.
