Mr. Thomas Shirk and his Welding students partnered with Keep Suffolk Beautiful, Clean Virginia Waterways of Longwood University, The Suffolk Art League, and the Suffolk Art Gallery to raise awareness of marine debris with a focus on balloons.  More than 11,000 littered balloons and ribbons were collected and donated to the Keep Suffolk Beautiful organization. They contacted Mr. Shirk, who took up the challenge, along with six of his students to weld sculptures to hold them. From that challenge, students produced two beautiful metal pieces, a butterfly and a sea turtle. The balloon and debris sculpture projects also became the student's senior project. 

These beautiful art pieces used to reside at Nansemond Suffolk Academy, but CCAP is exceedingly happy to have them now housed at home (CCAP’s lobby) where they should be!