Four hundred happy faces

Step through the front door of McKinnon Public School and your attention is immediately drawn to a splendid tile mosaic celebrating the school’s official opening last spring. Four hundred happy faces—the founding students and staff of this new addition to the Churchill Meadows community—beam a welcome to all who enter.

The eye-catching feature attraction was the idea of principal Norm Black. What better way to capture the excitement of a brand new school and a vibrant new neighbourhood, he suggested, than by focusing on the smiles of eager youngsters and dedicated staff members?

And the finished masterpiece, a permanent “cornerstone” for the building, would be a total team effort … each of the colourful cameos in the mosaic—acrylic paint on a 4” x 4” Bisque tile—was to be an original self-portrait!

He entrusted the project to a planning committee led by teachers Aileen Padua and Tammy Vanderploeg; and the first key recruit was local artist Leonor Prupas, proprietor of the Express Yourself Ceramics Studio in Streetsville.

Prupas assisted with the ordering of the tiles, paint and paintbrushes, and invited staff to the studio for a workshop on what’s involved in painting on ceramics.

The creative process began in the classroom with children making sketches of their own likeness to use as templates to guide them when painting. Then, in the space of seven or eight school days, every class took its turn in the art room.

After drawing their image on the tile in pencil, the students applied two coats of acrylic skin tone, waited five minutes for it to dry, then added hair and facial features.

Next stop for the tiles was the studio on Main Street for eight hours of firing in the kiln and another eight hours for cooling and glazing—each tile individually and painstakingly treated by Ms Prupas herself. The students would be amazed: the colours that had seemed a bit pale and drab when they left the brush were bright and vivid after glazing.

Then it was back to McKinnon to be assembled and mounted in six panels, the frames designed and built by Vanderploeg’s husband Craig. Amazingly, through the whole journey—delivery, painting, professional finishing and display—not a single tile was damaged … 400 tiles, no casualties!

The mosaic was kept under wraps, midst great curiosity and anticipation, until the big day, May 1, when its unveiling was the grand finale at the school’s official opening ceremonies.

It’s a special way to commemorate the start of a new school, says Padua. It speaks of a caring atmosphere, great students, a hardworking and cohesive staff, and a strong connection to the community. It was truly a project made for everyone and by everyone.