By Melissa Fili
MethuenLife Writer
There are colorful, hand-crafted images of students actively learning and playing, along with animal and nature images and even a turret, the Methuen Square clock tower and the CGS mascot’s pawprint!
Tiny tile by tiny tile, Comprehensive Grammar School’s Upper School students worked together for months creating a vibrant, detailed entrance to their school building that represents our community!
Upper School art teacher Cherilyn Donaghey explains that, “Starting mid-January our eighth-grade students met artist Yetti Frenkel during an assembly and learned about the history of community art and mosaics. For the next few weeks, they worked on creating drawings that worked best with our theme (CGS/Methuen). We wanted to make sure our community was represented in addition to our school – so many students looked for images online that fit the theme and either hand-drew or traced them.”
Frenkel used many of the students’ images to create the collage design. Then in March, kids got to work on the mosaic.
“Every student that has art class in grades 5-8 has had a hand in creating this art piece,” Donaghey explained. “They would work on it daily for the month of March during their specials. First tracing their projected images on the cement board, and then learning how to carefully cut the glass tiles (mostly ¾-inch) to fit into the image-like a coloring book until it was complete. Students were even involved in the mortaring and grouting process.”
The welcome sign measures 13.5 feet long and 4 feet wide, while the side panels are under 3 feet wide and 6 feet 4 inches long.
Students soaked up lots of learning in the process.
“Through the glass work, students were able to learn about color and contrast and how it was important to have colors that contrast so you could easily see the images among the many tiles. They also learned about value, scale and balance,” Donaghey said, “All important concepts when trying to create a unified piece of art.”
The mosaic was complete by the end of March and installed May 18. Alan Tisbert of AT&S Masonry Inc., in Methuen, along with Frenkel, Supervising Principal Katie Proietti and head custodian John Marcoux all donated their time for a Sunday installation.
“My favorite thing to see is when students are walking in and out of the building and they point to their friends and family and show them the parts they worked on,” Donaghey said. “They are excited and proud to see their hard work displayed, and I am too!
“The whole school community has been so supportive and excited to see the front of the building come to life with the colors and images hand-picked by our students!” she added.
This project was made possible by grant money from the Methuen Cultural Council, the Mass Cultural Council and The Castle Fund.
