Royersford Elementary Students Create Mosaic with 'Art's Alive!'

Royersford Elementary School fourth graders may be moving on to the Spring-Ford Area School District 5-6 building in the fall, but they left their mark on the Spring Street school with a large work of art in the lobby.

A mosaic, depicting Royersord Borough through the eyes of the students, was made almost entirely by students, with the help of Arts Alive! Coordinator Robyn Burckhardt, professional artist Jessica Lidell, Royersford Elementary art teacher Jennifer Low, and six of parent volunteers with the support of school principal Teresa Carboy and the Spring-Ford Area School District.

“It’s a good way to capture the history and personal meaning for students and residents in Royersford,” said Carboy.

According to Robyn Burckhardt, the process began in April, when photos were taken of buildings around Royersford; Jade Renninger and Anthony Bamford, students who are train enthusiasts, were happy to help re-create the train station in Royersford, and many other students worked on the buildings that interested them.

“We wanted the project to capture the history in the borough,” said Burckhardt.

Words are place throughout the mosaic to describe the community and the people in it.

“All we do, there has to be a strong emphasis on building relationships,” said Carboy.

The project also gives students a feeling of ownership over their contribution to the project, according to Liddell.

Each student can – and did – point to their part of the artwork, from the handprints to the buildings to the decorative tiles that represent the Schuylkill River.

The Art’s Alive! program brings professional artists together with students to create works of art, which have been done in several Spring-Ford School District schools.