More News

When MollyBeth Rushfield told her third-grade students that duct tape could solve any problem, they decided her theory needed to be put to the test.

Coincidentally, Rushfield and her 17 Charles E. Smith Jewish Day School students had a conundrum of their own that needed solving. Their classroom rug was too small for all of them to fit on, so the students proposed a solution: create a new one made of duct tape, that versatile, exceedingly durable, holds-everything-in-place favorite of everyone's toolbox.

Rushfield and her students set to work Sept. 11 and finished the 13-by-13-foot rug in less than a month. It features 169 student-designed squares in every shade of the rainbow, with recycled magazines providing a sturdy backing.

She estimates the class went through more than 20 rolls of duct tape to finish the creation.

In honor of the completed project, Rushfield's class held a Duct Tape Mania Festival last week at the Rockville school to show off their handiwork. The dress code for the event required that parents and children wear at least one piece of clothing or an accessory made out of — what else? — duct tape.

Rushfield said the project helped her class bond. The 40-year-old Rockville resident wore a black duct tape dress with a purple plaid trim over a long-sleeved shirt and tights. Matching plaid earrings, a headband, bracelets and shoes completed the look.

"The major thing about it was we were working together as a group," Rushfield said. "It was just at the beginning of the school year and we were all getting to know each other, and I was trying to build a cohesive community where we would all help each other."

The project also helped students' math skills, as they figured out such equations as how many more squares were needed and how much progress had been made. Writing skills came in when she asked them to pen stories that featured duct tape, which were shared with parents and classmates during the festival.

Brad Stillman, a Potomac parent, said he thought the project was "ingenious." He wore an orange and silver duct tape bow-tie that matched his 8-year-old son Gabriel's tie and hat.

"I think it's great that they found a way to make math and other skills fun," Stillman said. "They had a need for a new rug, so they found a way to do it and it was a really fun project for them."

Gabriel pointed proudly to the rug.

"I really liked designing it with my friends," he said. "And we all agreed that a Star of David should go in the middle."

Alana Fader, 9, of Olney said she wanted to make sure the rug featured the colors of the New York Giants, her favorite football team. Her red, white and blue square was joined by Ravens- and Redskins-inspired squares – in purple and black for the Baltimore team and burgundy and gold for the Washington team.

"Our rug is awesome," she said while adjusting her hot pink, blue and green baseball cap. "I loved coming in every morning and working on making the squares. Every time we finished one, we got to color in another square on our chart."

Rushfield said she is curious to see if her students will ever want to use anything else to create their projects.

"I wonder how long we'll be making duct tape things," she joked.