Flippy the Whale
Meet Flippy: Our Ambassador for a Cleaner Ocean
Flippy is an educational movement on wheels. She is a wire-frame sculpture designed the Virginia Military Institute engineering department to be filled with plastic trash by local students and community members, Flippy illustrates the real-world impact of our waste. From school visits to Earth Day celebrations, she travels the region to inspire the next generation to rethink single-use plastics and adopt more sustainable habits.
Flippy's Wide-Ranging Migrations
Migrations - 2019
Nov. 4-8 Bessie Weller Elementary, Staunton
Nov. 11-15 Ware Elementary, Staunton
Nov. 18-22 Stuart Hall main campus, Staunton
Nov. 25-Dec. 2 Wilson Memorial High School, Augusta County
Dec. 2 Staunton Christmas Parade
Dec. 2-7 Berkeley Glenn Elementary, Waynesboro
Dec. 7 Waynesboro Christmas Parade
Dec. 9-16 William Perry Elementary, Waynesboro
Dec. 16-23 Hugh Cassell Elementary, Augusta County
Migrations - 2020
Jan. 6-13 Wayne Hill Center, Waynesboro
Jan. 20-27 Staunton High School
Jan. 27-Feb. 3 Staunton Montessori School, Fishersville
Feb. 3-10 Shelburne Middle School, Staunton
Feb. 10-17 Wilson Elementary, Augusta County
Feb. 17-24 Wilson Middle School, Augusta County
Feb. 24-29 McSwain Elementary, Staunton
Migrations - 2020 (Cont.)
March 9-14 Clymore Elementary, Ft. Defiance
October - EarthTober Celebration, Sunspots Pavilion
Nov. 1-7 Tye River Elementary, Nelson County
Nov. 8-14 Nelson County Middle & High School
Nov. 15-22 Rockfish River Elementary, Nelson County
Nov. 22-Dec. 2 Rockfish Valley Foundation – Spruce Creek Park Natural History Center
Migrations - 2021
March 14-28 Lexington & Rockbridge County
Apr 1 – May 31 Earth Day Staunton
June 1-7 Monterey - Highland County Schools
July 1-31 Lexington & Rockbridge County
Sep. 18 Riopalooza Festival in Fort Valley
Oct. 1-21 Downtown Staunton for Shen Green Earthtober
Nov. 22-28 Ware Elementary
Nov. 29 Staunton Christmas Parade
December Staunton Celebration of Lights in GHP
Migrations - 2022
April Clyde’s Auto Body sand, prime & paint blue
May Ware Elementary School, Staunton
June 5 “Draft Days”, Stuart’s Draft, Augusta County
Nov. 12 Blue Ridge Children’s Museum, Waynesboro
Nov. 28 Staunton Christmas Parade –
Winner for Non-profit / Civic Category
December Staunton Celebration of Lights in GHP
Migrations - 2023
March 20-24 – Wenonah Elementary, Waynesboro
April 22 - Earth Day Staunton – Gypsy Hill Park
April 29 – Waynesboro Riverfest
July 10-13 Shark Week @ Anna’s house, VSDB Campus
July 14 Churchville Library
Nov. 27 Staunton Christmas Parade
December Staunton Celebration of Lights in GHP - Second Place Winner for Non-Profit Category
Migrations - 2024
March 7 - AME Allen Chapel - Community Foundation Coffee Talk
April 8-12 – Ware Elementary, Staunton
April 15-19 - Anna's House, VSDB Campus, Staunton
April 20 - Earth Day Staunton, Gypsy Hill Park
April 22-25 - Bessie Weller Elementary, Staunton
July 13 - Harmony Harvest Farm, Weyers Cave
Oct 5 – Enchanted Mushroom Festival, Churchville
Dec. 2 – Staunton Christmas Parade
December – Staunton Celebration of Lights in GHP
Flippy's Beginning
Flippy’s first journey was to Bessie Weller Elementary in Staunton, where students provided the name "Flippy" and filled the sculpture with plastic trash collected from their own homes. This interactive experience helps students visualize where their discarded plastic often ends up and encourages them to brainstorm ways to reduce or refuse single-use plastics. By turning a global crisis into a local lesson, Flippy inspires the next generation to protect our environment through better waste habits.
A Shining Example
Inspired by a tragic 2019 report of a whale starving from 88 pounds of ingested plastic, Shenandoah Green partnered with the VMI engineering department to create this 15-foot wire sculpture. Designed as a traveling symbol of the damage plastic waste does to marine life, Flippy makes educational visits to schools and participates as a float in parades to visually illustrate the impact of single-use plastics on our oceans. Her mission is encapsulated in the acronym S.W.A.P. (Save Whales. Avoid Plastic!).
Save Ocean Life
S.W.A.P. (Save Whales. Avoid Plastic!)
Learn from Flippy what you can do to reduce your plastic footprint
