This fall, a group of IMS students conceptualized and created a realistic, movie-quality scarecrow based on the character “Groot” from the popular movie “Guardians of the Galaxy.”

With the help of Art Teacher Craig Pecchia, students gathered materials and created the scarecrow from ideation to execution; it is currently positioned outside of the Green Cafe as part of the Salisbury Fall Fest scarecrow competition.

The inspiration to create Groot came from the desire to source natural materials from our own backyard and develop a scarecrow that contained elements that are reflective of IMS. Our mountain is an integral part of the school’s identity, and our outdoor adventure and education program is, in many ways, the driving spirit of the school.

Assistant Director of Residential Life Caitlin Vaughn says, “Watching Groot come to life was the highlight of my fall. From a simple idea grew a community project that took the bark from our fallen trees on the mountain and the plastic bags, cardboard, and other recyclables from our trash cans, to build something beautiful and special.”