When students from the Bonn International School heard the story of the golden toad of the Costa Rican Monteverde cloud forest – perhaps one of first species believed to have gone extinct as a result of climate change – they sprang into action.

Almost 600 students from age three to 18 worked together to create a powerful collage made up of 594 small blocks of wood, on which they painted various messages and images. Not surprisingly, toads of all shapes and sizes figure prominently in the piece.

The collage was presented to UNFCCC Executive Secretary Christiana Figueres, who often talks about her childhood memories of the golden toads as the spur to her lifelong mission to protect the planet. The art is meant to be a traveling piece, to accompany Ms. Figueres on public talks and stand as a visual reminder of the urgency of climate change.

Ms. Figueres said: “I will be personally thanking all the pupils and staff at the Bonn International School for the beautiful art work and exquisite golden toad they made for me when I introduce Karim Nassef, a student at the school, to do a TEDx talk tonight as part of this week’s Save the World events organized by the German government and Theatre Bonn.”

"I also plan to take the toad with me to a TED talk in the United States I will be doing next year. The astonishing art collage produced by the school movingly reminds me of the way the extinction of this toad in my native Costa Rica inspired me on my journey to address climate change. And I hope it inspired these talented pupils and their teachers to become voices and advocates for climate action and what is our aim right now – namely assisting governments to deliver a meaningful new agreement in Paris in 2015.”

The collage “turned out beautifully,” said Dr. Chris Mueller, Director of the Bonn International School. There was a team of teachers involved, including the school's early years teachers, primary art teacher Suzanne Kaegi, and secondary art teachers Jo Tilton and Leilani Dela Cruz. Art teacher Jo Tilton created an information/discussion sheet, which was shared with the students, and each teacher discussed the idea and causes of extinction with the students and then asked them to create a response to the loss of the golden toad.

“A lot of thought went into the blocks,” said Dr. Mueller. “It was a powerful learning experience for them. They were so excited about it.”