Flanked by mosaic artists Andrea Shreve Taylor and Bonnie Fitzgerald, Churchill Road art teacher Jenny Whiteman displays the tile samples for the second grade’s outdoor tile wall highlighting the four stages of the Monarch butterfly life cycle and the project kick-off meeting in February. Photo by Kim Moran
Churchill Road second graders began working with local mosaic artist Bonnie Fitzgerald in February to create tiles for an outdoor mosaic depicting the lifecycle of the Monarch butterfly. The children created clay tiles depicting one of the four stages of the Monarch lifecycle: egg, larva or caterpillar, chrysalis and adult Monarch butterfly. Fitzgerald combined the student tiles with decorative mosaic pieces donated by fellow mosaic artist Andrea Shreve Taylor. By incorporating the donated mosaic pieces, it was possible to increase the size of the mosaic. The result was five panels; one for each of the four stages and a centerpiece. CRS art teacher Jenny Whiteman, who coordinated the project, and second grade teachers Cheryl Bamdad, Joshua DeSmyter, Jacqueline Laurenzi and Dustin Lee, assisted with the mosaic installation in late April. The second grade students are proud of this new addition to Churchill Road’s Bird and Butterfly Garden. This project was made possible through the support of the Churchill Road PTA.