Leaves are turning yellow as autumn rain continues to fall. In the blink of an eye, late autumn is already upon us. The skies above MCC’s campus are sometimes clear, and at other times bleak. But the students’ spirits remain unwavering! Busy as ever, they can be found enjoying their studies and social lives in every corner of campus; the main school buildings, library, theatre, and boarding house. Not long ago, a mysterious team was discovered on campus. They showed up in groups of two or three, walking around campus carrying giant objects. Occasionally, they would whisper among themselves and then huddle around a teacher to talk. Who are this mysterious team? What are they doing?
The answer————
Secondary school teacher Vanessa Cai came up with an entrepreneurial idea for a class for Grade 7 and Grade 8 graders – ‘Best Out of Waste’. Students were tasked with collecting items that had been thrown away and then using them to design, recreate, and sell them to their teachers. The teachers evaluated each product’s individual merits before deciding whether to buy the product and for how much. They encouraged students to use everyday items that had been discarded but that could still be recycled. With careful consideration, imagination and design, who was able to make the ‘Best out of Waste’? Come take a look at the mysterious team.
Mysterious Team No.1: “The Time Machine”
Design Concept：If you were to travel back in time from 2021 to 1980, what would you see? Back then, there were white clouds, blue skies, lush greenery and clear lakes… But 31 years later, our trash continues to pile up in landfill site after landfill site. Plus, there is more plastic, waste paper, scrap metal, and textile waste polluting the environment than ever before. What will it be like 30 years from now? We wanted to show three different images of “yesterday, today, and tomorrow” through art, to remind everyone to take environmental pollution seriously and to protect our planet.
Artwork Status: Sold
Price: Confidential
Mysterious Team No.2: “MP50 Fighter Jet”
Design Concept: This is a “weapon” that can be used both as a gun and a rocket launcher. The students pitched the weapon to their teacher, explaining in detail how to use it. After the presentation, the teacher said that it was cool! They then paid a high price for the product, praising the student’s originality and creative concept.
Artwork Status: Sold
Price: Confidential
Mysterious Team No.3: “A Top Worth 20K”
Design Concept：We used the most common waste materials – shock absorbent packaging, green ribbon, paper and tape – to make a “fashion” piece containing a “Made in China” label. Buyers were impressed with the top’s transparent material, its vibrant colours and fashionable style.
Artwork Status: Sold
Price: Confidential
The students made their “first fortune” by marketing their products. They decided either to donate all the profits to charity or to keep it for their future business funds. These are not the only creative products to have been designed by the mysterious teams through brainstorming, getting stuck into the making process, and testing their products. They deserve to be encouraged and discovered! The seed of an idea now planted, could be the beginnings of a great future product! Students made practical and creative products with love. Their buyers will surely enjoy a heartwarming user experience.
The secondary school teachers told us that this sale was just a small test. Next up, is the Business Fair! Stay tuned to hear more about our students’ outstanding performance.
