Ridgefield elementary students learn about sustainability from ‘Medio Pollito’

RIDGEFIELD — Professional storyteller Will Hornyak visited students at Union Ridge Elementary School to read the “Adventures of Medio Pollito” (“medio pollito” is “half chicken” in Spanish), a story to help students be more aware of the environment. The program was part of Clark County Green Schools’ effort to educate students about sustainability. To get the message across, Hornyak used costumes, audience participation, call and response, and other entertainment. Hornyak told the students, according to a news release, that small changes add up to a big difference — noting the food composting and recycling that the students already do. Rather than throwing everything away at the end of a meal, students divide waste into compostable food, recyclable products and trash. In “Adventures of Medio Pollito,” the chicken hopped across a kingdom to meet a king, planted trees to shelter a stream, and kept it clean and cool for fish and animals.