If you are so lucky to be able to visit LGA, park your car and walk around the side of the building by the playground. You will be pleasantly surprised to notice the beginning of the most beautiful mural our fair city of Northampton has seen in a long time. Thank you to LGA parent and professional muralist Jonathan Kohrman, for our school is soon to be the site of a magnificent piece of giant, colorful art. The most impressive part of the project is that it’s been completely collaborative, involving just about every member of our school -- students and faculty.
This past spring, Jonathan met with members of our admin team and our arts educator, Morah Kitty Marshall to discuss the mural. He envisioned a piece of art that would be not only eye-pleasing but also meaningful, conveying who LGA is and what we stand for. We all agreed that student participation would be a central focus. Moreh Aharon’s third- and fourth-grade (‘09-10) Judaics classes met with Jonathan to discuss which themes to include in the mural. Even after Jonathan’s initial conversation with the classes, the students were still highly engaged, thinking about what would make sense.
Jonathan took the students’ ideas and ran with them. I want to walk through just a few of the highlights of the mural. If you have a moment to check it out, I am sure that you will find other features that spark something within you.
First, a prominent feature is all the Hebrew letters scattered throughout the mural. A sofer (scribe) in the bottom right is creating letters that float in midair, symbolizing that Hebrew is a central part of our school and permeates much of what we do.
Also, notice the sailboat carrying children. Strikingly, one child is lifting another up into the boat, emulating the school’s mantra, “Learning While Learning to Care.” He is giving a helping hand to a friend in need.
And throughout, you’ll see that Jonathan and the students weaved a nature theme into the mural, paying homage to how fortunate we are to live in the beautiful Pioneer Valley.
Does something different stand out to you? I have attached a partial picture for you to take a look at. What stands out to you? I am sure it will spark great conversations.
Every student in the school has been involved in creating the mural; Morah Kitty has dedicated some of her art class time to work with Jonathan. As you walk into the LGA Oolam (Multi-Purpose Room), you’ll see a bulletin board detailing the many steps in the process: First, Jonathan and Kitty divided the entire mural into tiny boxes called a grid system. Students then learned how to trace a specific part of the mural as practice. From there they took it to the mural and finally painted their portion. It is our hope to complete the mural before our long winter sets in.
Thank you to Jonathan and Kitty for all your hard work on this project, and thanks to our students for taking it so seriously. The process that happened here emulates what makes LGA such a special learning environment.
