Mississauga, Ontario
Celebrating the School’s 100th Anniversary: “Our Legacy”
5’ x 12’, acrylic & mixed media on masonite panels
Approaching the 100th anniversary of Clarkson Public School, students and staff reflected on the legacy of the school by creating a mural depicting the journey of the school and its community.
A collection of memories is represented by water flowing from the central point of the artwork, the base of an old oak tree, which used to be part of the school in the early days. The rings of the trunk open up and radiate outwards, indicating the growth of the school to the present time.
Sean Covey’s book “7 Habits of Happy Kids” forms a central message in the school which the students take an active role in discussing and practicing. Consequently, it was very important that the mural took that concept into consideration.
As a result, the mural represents all seven habits. The school decided to “Be Proactive” by creating this artwork as a means to teach the children to learn to represent conceptual ideas in an artistic way. The collage’s many little hands represent “actions”, students who make things happen. Creating a staircase out of books symbolizes “Begin with the End in Mind” by taking education as the destination. This concept reflects the idea of process which has been painted in the mural with footsteps. These footsteps remind us about all the students who have been walking through the tunnel close to the school over the years, embracing another learning day.
“Put First Things First” is about being aware of the need to protect our planet understanding that we are all connected by continuing learning and being active participants in protecting it. The representation of nature in the mural depicts this habit, showing a transition of seasons indicating permanent renewal. “Think win-win” means seeing life as a cooperative arena. During this process the children enjoyed the benefit of their interaction with each other. They proved that “Synergize” is the habit of creative cooperation – it is teamwork, open-mindedness, and the adventure of finding new solutions to challenges. It takes willingness to embrace differences of ideas and to “Seek first to understand, then to be understood” to achieve good communication, even during this creative process.
All members of Clarkson’s learning community understand that in the journey of becoming leaders, it’s important to “Sharpen the saw”, enhancing the physical, social, mental and spiritual areas of their lives.
