Prescott, Ont. students wrap up Black History Month by showcasing portrait mosaics of 5 Black trailblazers
Students in Grade 4 and 5 at Wellington Elementary School celebrated Black History Month by building portrait mosaics of five Black trailblazers.
The students used thousands of bricks to replicate photographs into mosaics of Harriet Tubman, Katherine Johnson, Jackie Robinson, Rosa Parks and Martin Luther King Jr.. They showcased their work in an art show on Thursday, said the school in a news release on Friday.
“The entire school was invited to see their finished portraits, with the builders serving as ‘gallery employees’, answering any questions and discussing the history behind the portraits,” reads the release.
Teacher Lorianne De Spiegelaere says hands-on activities help students get engaged and excited about learning.
“As we progressed through February, exposing my students to a project of this magnitude was an exciting way to spread awareness and learn more about Black history,” De Spiegelaere said.
The students also gave up their own time to make sure they finish the project on time.
“We had kids asking to stay in during recess,” De Spiegelaere said. “They even worked through their lunch to get a few more building minutes in.”
And when it came to the costs associated with the project, the students held a canteen fundraiser.
“It got stressful sometimes when you don’t have all the pieces,” Grade 5 student Ben Peters said. “But to see the final outcome makes me really happy.”
Ward 6 Trustee Lisa Swan, Prescott Mayor Gauri Shankar and Augusta Township Mayor Jeff Shaver were among the people who attended the show.
“I think it’s wonderful how engaged the kids were. They told me how they raised funds to get the bricks and how they didn’t know a lot about the subject matter,” said Swan. “I learned things about these historical figures that I never knew before.”
Shankar adds that it’s important to teach kids different cultures and different movements.
“We have a multicultural class and it’s good for them to learn that,” said Shankar.
The mosaic building process video is available online.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Driver, 18, gets $3,000 ticket, 32 demerit points after speeding on Laval boulevard
A young driver received a hefty fine from Laval police after they say he was driving nearly 100 km/h over the posted speed limit.
Trump confronts repeated boos during raucous Libertarian convention speech
Donald Trump was booed repeatedly while addressing Saturday night’s Libertarian Party National Convention.
This type of screen time has the worst effect on kids: experts
According to some experts, there is one type of screen time that is continuously excessive, and it's having a severe effect on our children.
Custom baseball card released of Blue Jays fan struck in the face with foul ball
Liz McGuire, the Blue Jays fan who was struck in the face with a 110 m.p.h. foul ball last week, has been pictured on a custom baseball trading card applauding her fandom to the game.
As Canada warms, infectious disease risks spread north
Cases of Lyme disease have now increased more than 1,000 per cent in a decade as the warming climate pushes the boundaries of a range of pathogens and risk factors northward.
Blaine Higgs 'furious' over sexual education presentation
New Brunswick Premier Blaine Higgs has shared his anger on social media over a presentation in at least four high schools.
Grayson Murray, two-time PGA Tour winner, dead at 30
Two-time PGA Tour winner Grayson Murray died Saturday morning at age 30, one day after he withdrew from the Charles Schwab Cup Challenge at Colonial.
Why did the French Open cancel a farewell ceremony for Rafael Nadal? And why is he unseeded?
The French tennis federation put off holding a ceremony to celebrate Rafael Nadal at Roland Garros this year, because he has said this might not necessarily be his final appearance at the tournament he has won a record 14 times.
Search underway for missing swimmer on Lake St. Clair
A search is currently underway for a Michigan man who police said jumped into the waters of Lake St. Clair on Saturday afternoon and did not resurface.