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Murals help Palermo students 'discover' the old townBy Dominik KurekGault.OAKVILLE BEAVER STAFFBoth agreed the experience of workingwith children was enjoyable.With the theme of discovery in mind,It was a lot of fun to see the little kidsPalermo Public School principal Chriscome in and talk to us everyday, Gault said.Alexiou got a pair of local artists involved inWe became friends with some of the young-a project that will help students discover.er girls that came by everyday. One little boyAfter two months of work, the artists, andwould come in and say, Good job.as many as 150 students, completed a hall-The artist noticed the mural wall in theway of murals to depict an old town look,kindergarten hallway is already being usedmuch how Palermo would have looked likeby teachers, such as when students are askedin the 1950s.to identify shapes such as circles and squaresThough the inspiration for the muralon the painted buildings.designs came from old downtown OakvilleIt not only brightens the hallway, but itson Lakeshore Road, Alexiou said the depic-a visual tool for the teachers, Gault said.tions are of things that would have existed inPrincipal Alexiou said it was important toPalermo, such as a town hall, police and fireinvolve the students in the project.stations, a post office, a variety of shops andThe whole point of that discovery thememore with building designs of the same era.ERIC RIEHL / OAKVILLE BEAVERwas to engage the kids and involve them inI cant tell you its an exact depiction, butcreating this depiction of Palermo in the 50sINDOOR STREET:Palermo has murals of the 1950s streetscape in the school. The murals were these are the things that could be classed asor the 40s, he said.painted by students along with local artist Maura Gault (left) and Andrea Seibt.community helpers, which the primary stu-There was the engagement of the kids,dents start to learn about, Alexiou said.Grades 4- 6. They directed the students to plan accordingly, such as by havingexciting them about something, giving themThe idea behind the project was to furtherwhere and what to paint, usually giving enough brushes and materials on hand.a sense of ownership for something they cre-the discovery theme at the school.them the less detailed work. Afterward, the Her fellow artist agrees.ated in their school and then connecting itThis is all part of the discovery theme. Inartists would do any touch ups necessary and It was a learning adjustment from theto the social studies curriculum.kindergarten and Grade 1, social studies top-did the detailed work, such as painting the first wall that we did to our last wall, saidThis is the first school year at Palermo.ics focus on the community communityitems in shop windows.helpers, whos in your community, he said.Seibt already teaches children at the The mural wall was completed in June,Oakville Art Society and in other places. done by Oakville artist Andrea Seibt andHowever, painting on a wall with children interior designer Maura Gault. For twowas different from what shes used to.months, the pair worked with students inIt was an adjustment, she said. We had IMPRESSIONSLIMITED SPACE is available for September 2011. Dont miss out!nment.To book a tour, please contact our Admissions Departmentat admissions@hsc.on.ca or 905-389-1367 ext. 160.JUNIOR KINDERGARTEN AND MONTESSORI TO GRADE 12www.hsc.on.ca | 905-389-1367 | 299 Fennell Ave. West, Hamilton11 Friday, July 8, 2011 OAKVILLE BEAVER www.insideHALTON.com