Upcycled Chandelier Brightens Hans Herr Hallway

At the intersection of Andrew Carnegie and Rachel Carson Rds. (aka the fourth and fifth grade hallways) is Pioneer Plaza. It’s a common area overlooking the gym in which Hans Herr students can collaborate on projects, receive tutoring, or just spend time doing schoolwork. Pioneer Plaza has recently been updated to include a fashionable new piece of decor - an upcycled water bottle chandelier.

Students in Mrs. Loar-Stauffer’s - or Mrs. L-S, as she’s affectionately known - art classes began the project during the 2017-2018 school year by painting the interiors of plastic water bottles. Young artists then learned how to cut bottles into spirals and attached them by the neck to a frame made from tomato cages and chicken wire. The finished structure was hung in January 2019.

The chandelier features more than 100 bottles in a rainbow of colors. Mrs. L-S hopes to illuminate it with solar-powered lights in the future.