100 Mile House Elementary School administrators revealed their new glass art mosaic logo on June 21.
The mosaic is a personal piece to both students and staff as both had a huge part in its creation.
When students returned to school after the winter break in January, vice-principal Mike Brogan came up with the idea to build something that would signify the importance of acceptance and encouragement at the school.
“It was my vision to use art as a vehicle to enhance students' sense of connection to our school. Creating a sense of belonging and connection for students are essential aspects in helping students succeed in school.”
The most important part was that it would include something from every student as well as every teacher, teacher assistant, support worker and parent.
Thus came the concept for a mosaic piece created out of hundreds of small glass beads.
For three months, students worked in groups and created their own individual glass art. Using coloured markers, they created a small art piece that reflected who they were and what was important to them.
The individual art pieces were placed in glass caps that were then attached to the main canvas, creating a mosaic artwork of each students personality and history. More than 425 beads were added to the piece.
School name, colours and the school's wolf pack symbol were added to the composition.
Brogan's parents, Marina Papais and Daniel Collett, volunteered their time to assist students during the creation of the project. Collet is a retired woodwork teacher and has created several wood, metal and glass pieces with Papais during the past 20 years.
They went to every classroom and talked with the students and the teachers to achieve more personal connection for the project.
The final touch was a plexiglass cover to ensure the longevity of the piece.
Brogan says he was ecstatic when the mosaic was finally mounted on the wall outside the main entrance to the school.
“Each student and parent who participated in this will be able to look at this piece of art and reflect on how their own individual piece was part of a larger body, which is the community in which we belong to which is 100 Mile House.”
“This required a lot of work and I'm proud of all the kids and staff and parents who helped complete this project,” says Brogan.