(December 10, 2009) -- "Recycle, reduce, reuse and close the loop!" was the closing statement of sophomores Rita Ezadjian, Randi Robins and Lori Kassabian’s recent presentation on current habitat disruptions, specifically on rainforest deforestation. Teacher Dominique Evans-Bye’s biology classes were assigned an ecology project, in which each group of three to four students picked a specific habitat that is negatively impacted by human activity today.

"Twenty percent of earth’s oxygen comes from the Amazon rainforest," Ezadjian said during her recent presentation. "By cutting down the trees for building roads, we are harming ourselves more and more, every single day." According to Ezadjian, deforesting is negatively affecting the world’s biodiversity, which is gradually influencing the earth’s exponential growth.

The presentations opened up some students’ eyes. "People aren’t aware of the results of their trash and pollution," sophomore Ani Nazaryan said. "I think this project helps raise more awareness to students our age, because we’re teaching fellow classmates what’s going on in the world today." Not only was she awakened by the news, but the rest of the seventh period class also admitted they didn’t know that parts of the world are going through such climatic instability.

The ecology project informed students that the world needs a helping hand from everyone, regardless of age. "I believe that going ‘green’ is a very important thing to do. We can all help the world today just by a little effort," sophomore Karen Hovsepian said.