Rachael Golden/The Gazette Eighth-grader Aanchal Bhatia works on a poster in preparation for Kingsview Middle School's Green Day program next week.

The craft is one of 29 activities the school's eighth graders can participate in during "It's a Green Day at Kingsview" on April 28, being held on the heels of Earth Day as a part of the Environmental Protection Agency's "Make A Difference" campaign for middle schoolers.

The goal is to teach youngsters that even small contributions towards improving and protecting the environment can have a positive impact.

Green Day projects will range from field trips to Camp Seneca Park and Phillips Farm for marking storm drains to making artwork from trash to trading unwanted merchandise at a "Swap Shop" run by the school's PTSA.

Kingsview is the third school nationwide to partner with the EPA for such an event, said Judi Kane of the agency's Office of Solid Waste. The other schools were in San Diego, Calif., and Mechanicsburg, Pa.

"I'm really a believer in this kind of education," Kane said. "The kids really enjoy it, finding how they can, as we say, 'make a difference' because I think until we get to them, they don't really get it -- how they can impact the environment."

"They all get exposed to recycling and some of those things in grade school, but this will take it to another level," said Kingsview PTSA president Kathy Kurkjian. "It is going to be new and different...[and] it'll be very effective to get our kids to think about the environment and recycling in particular."

Principal Dennis Queen attended the EPA event in Pennsylvania last May and immediately volunteered his school as the next site.

"[The Mechanicsburg event] was good, but they didn't bring other agencies into it," Queen said last week. "We wanted to include a lot of county, state and even federal environmental agencies."

There will be more than 100 adults participating in the day as presenters, volunteers and chaperones, Queen said.

The willingness of the community to embrace the idea has made the event grow beyond its original concept, said Margy Hall, of the event's three-member steering committee.

"It's extremely collaborative," she said.

Ideas have come from the previous schools, government officials and the students themselves, who were surveyed in October about possible activities centered on the theme of "Reduce, Recycle, Reuse."

For example, students asked for a stream study and hike, noted steering committee member Heidi Walker ­ requests that were accommodated.

An English teacher who noticed eighth-grader Kelly Kurkjian's pocketbook made of juice bags suggested it as a good candidate for the day's events. Now Kelly with her mom Kathy Kurkjian plan to assist with the Capri Sun purse project Walker said was one of the event's most popular.

Kelly Kurkjian first saw the purse on a co-ed at the University of Tennessee last spring. "They're really different and unique and you don't see them very much, so I liked that," she said. The small handbags might appear limited in size, but she added, "I usually carry around my little digital camera and a notepad, pencils and wallet. It's not that small when you think about it."

Kathy Kurkjian and a fellow parent will also be assisting with "Art From Trash" and have been setting aside cans and milk jugs "plus trying to collect colorful trash like cereal boxes to add color to the sculptures."

Students are looking forward to Green Day, Kelly Kurkjian said. "It's not the main topic of conversation, but kids are talking about what they signed up for and all."

Students signed up for five projects each and all will participate in a "waste-free" picnic lunch. Walker said the most students, about 70, were registered to plant more than 300 trees on the school campus. The school is awaiting word on a $2,000 grant from the Chesapeake Bay Trust that would help pay for the plantings.

"Our school doesn't really have a lot of trees and plants so I think it will be really cool to see the change between now and then," Kelly Kurkjian said.

Teachers will lead up to the event with activities in eighth-grade science classes, Walker said.

Hall said she was looking forward to seeing all the hard work come together. "First of all, I hope [the students] have a great day, but I hope they also see that little things can be done to make a big difference to help the environment and the community."

EPA program helps kids 'Make a Difference'