Nolan Nicaise was busy, helping to transform hand sculptures into fish sculptures, in a project involving art, science and the environment.

Nolan, 15, a sophomore at Scott High School, Taylor Mill, was among 11 students from area schools participating in the Laughing Brook project.

"I like the process of working with the sculptures and seeing them transformed into fish that will end up with plants on them,'' Nolan said.

The sculptures of human hands were created by Jackie Brookner, an artist and professor at the Parsons School of Design in New York.

Brandon Lane, 16, a student from Colerain High School, works on a concrete sculpture of a catfish that will be part of a larger sculpture for the Mill Creek Restoration Project. He is one of 11 students participating in the work. The Enquirer/MICHAEL E. KEATING

"The idea of the original hand sculptures is to emphasize that we are primarily responsible for the environment,'' said Robin Corathers, executive director of the Mill Creek Restoration Project. "Our hands and fish are very similar.''

The students are working under the auspices of Artworks, a nonprofit employment and training program.

Artists Tony Luensman and Gordon Strain are helping the students to cast the sculptures at the Mill Creek Restoration Project's studio warehouse in Northside.

"The fish sculptures will be installed in the wetland in Salway Park and covered in mosses,'' said Luensman. "The results are that the sculptures will function with other native wetland plants to cleanse storm-water runoff from a parking lot and adjacent ball fields, before it enters Mill Creek."

Other student participants were: Caitlin Arnest, Julia Davenport, Molly Doan, Brandon Lane, Andrea Larsgaard, Martin Malone, Catrina Nelson, David Rizzo, Caroline Sim and Jahe Woody. The project is made possible by a $50,000 grant from the General Electric Foundation to the Mill Creek Restoration Project to support clean water and public art for Mill Creek.

The Laughing Brook project will include a boardwalk for visitors to observe the functioning wetland, an overlook for viewing Mill Creek, educational signs and a butterfly garden.

Grants support arts

Four grants, totaling $160,000 from the Eleanora C.U. Alms Foundation will support Cincinnati arts and beautification:

• Cincinnati Opera Association, $100,000 to recruit and hire regional chorus talent.

• The Cincinnati Arts Association was the recipient of $30,000 to support the annual Overture Awards program.

• Cincinnati Musical Festival Association received $25,000 to support the Cincinnati May Festival.

• Hillside Trust received $5,000 to purchase a new computer capable of running Geographic Information Systems applications.

Frederick and Eleanora Alms emerged from modest beginnings to become millionaires and philanthropists who made gifts to hospitals, homes for the aged, orphanages and youth organizations.

Video festival winners

Volunteers, producers and staff from the Waycross Community Media have won top honors in the 2004 Hometown USA Video Festival Awards.

They picked up the award during the Alliance for Community Media International Conference & Trade Show, held in Tampa, Fla., this month.

The local volunteers won in the category of non-pro sports, for their coverage of Winton Woods-Centerville district final in basketball.

"This was a great award," said Thom Schneider, government access and economic programming coordinator at Waycross. "All the programming the public sees from here is done by volunteers. We are approaching about 200 volunteers here."

Volunteer members included the director, Dave Hood, who was a middle-school student at the time; Steve Allen, Steve Fletcher, Anthony Jeffries, Mark Mason, Chris Palumbo, Rob Ratliff, Hugh Staples, and Mac VanPelt.

"This was the second year in a row that volunteers from Waycross have received this national award," Schneider said.

He said there were 1,467 entries in 45 categories from 33 states and three Canadian provinces in the competition this year.

Schneider said anyone who wishes to learn about Waycross Community Media, free production workshops, programming or volunteer opportunities may call 825-2429 or visit its Web site: www.waycross.org.

Waycross Community Media coordinates community access television and Internet services for Forest Park, Greenhills and Springfield Township.