- March 28, 2024
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When Dommerich Elementary School relocated, Jane McCann knew it needed a little something extra to make it feel more like home.
"I was trying to think of service projects that would connect the old Dommerich to the new Dommerich," said the fourth-grade teacher.
After doing some research and applying for the Darden Restaurants Foundation grant, which she received, she came up with the idea of creating a mosaic, but not just any mosaic.
"We used to have a lot of wildlife on our campus, but because of all of the construction it chased away all of the wildlife," McCann said. A wildlife mosaic would be a great way to liven up the new building, she decided.
Remembering that artist Lynn Tomlinson had completed mosaic projects at Hannibal Square and Trinity Prep, she invited Tomlinson to get involved. Tomlinson signed on as the lead artist for the project that would showcase not only local wildlife, but a slice of the Dommerich community.
"I always like in my projects to build in some other kind of learning, so it's about the process," Tomlinson said. "It's about learning how to do a mosaic."
True to this concept, Dommerich faculty, staff, students, parents and other community members came together to make the mosaic, from start to finish.
"Primarily, it was to build relationships, so children would feel connected and do better in school, and parents would be more involved in the school and community members would feel more connected to our Dommerich community," said McCann. "It's amazing to see all the people that have been involved. It's far bigger than I ever, ever imagined it."
Thanks to tile donations from Archie Vandermast, Jennifer Reichardt, Jill Cotton, Lynn Tomlinson and SoCo Interiors, the students had plenty to work with. Their involvement was key, so McCann and Tomlinson turned to the students for their input. After deciding what types of plants and animals were important to recognize, fifth-grade students drew the pictures, while the younger students cut the figures from clay. The pieces were glazed and fired and glued on the panels, primarily by students in third and fourth grade.
Parent and volunteer Mark Barrette played a key role in the project by helping coordinate volunteers and in the actual creation of the mosaic with his construction experience and work with tile. His daughter Emma, who is in the fourth grade, designed a portion of one of the panels that shows the life cycle of a butterfly. She did this from drawings of photos that were taken of a butterfly's lifecycle that happened in her own backyard.
Even the plant life in the piece has a back-story.
"We have magnolias that are symbolic of the magnolia tree that used to be in the front of the old Dommerich building," said Matthes. "Another part that I love about the project is that it really brings in the history of Dommerich. It incorporates both the old and the new, and it's a beautiful bridging of all of that."
Fifth-grader Joseph Avila said he was pleased at the way the school was presented in the mosaic.
"I like the one with the school the best because it looks like our school," he said. "It really represents how Dommerich is because it's a friendly place to be."
Avila's role in the project included glazing the leaves and cleaning up the grout work.
"It's just so beautiful," said Matthes. "Now when people come in the office and come in the lobby, they can see this beautiful work that's done by everybody."
Don't Miss Out!
The mosaic will be unveiled to the public at the Dommerich Elementary dedication ceremony at 10 a.m. on Thursday, April 29. For more information, visit www.des.ocps.net.