Painting a Picture of Woodbury's Past
TIM HARLOW, Star Tribune
A small private school in
Woodbury is moving ahead with its plans to create a
giant mural depicting the history of the city even
though its application for a grant to cover the cost has
been turned down.
Footprints Academy on
Tamarack Road was hoping to secure a Crayola Foundation
Grant to pay for part of the project, in which students
will research various aspects of Woodbury's history from
the time settlers first arrived in the 1840s to today.
They will then use what they found to compose poetry and
produce artwork that will be incorporated into a giant
mural covering a large portion of a wall in the school's
gymnasium.
The Crayola grant would have
covered $2,500 of the $5,300 budgeted for the endeavor.
Without the grant, school founder Nikki Robbins said she
will explore alternate sources of funding by applying
for other grants and looking for corporate sponsors. She
has hired Interiors of Stillwater to work with students
and teachers to design the mural, and last week made the
first down payment.
"We are moving forward,"
Robbins said.
Plans for the mural have been
in place since last year, when Robbins got the idea
after seeing a mural depicting the history of Hudson,
Wis., painted on the wall of a new middle school there.
Robbins said she hopes it will serve as a place where
residents can come and learn about the history of
Woodbury.
The school's 83 students in
grades K-6 have been learning about the history of the
St. Croix River's logging and farming in their lessons.
"In social studies, we try to
encourage the teachers to put local lore in it," said
muralist Peg Malanaphy, owner of Interiors of
Stillwater. The idea is to help students "learn about
the history of the land around them."
Robbins said some lessons
might involve students interviewing farmers in the area
or visiting nursing homes to talk with older residents
to learn first-hand some of the local history.
The design of the mural is
still unfolding and eventually might include ideas put
forth by members of the community. It also will feature
core values of the school's mission, which seeks to
produce "successful learners who will be ethical and
decent people," Robbins said.
Crayola didn't leave the
school totally empty-handed. Along with a letter
explaining that its application was turned down "due to
high competition," the foundation promised to send
crayons and paints to the school as a thank-you for its
application, Robbins said.
The mural is set to be
completed around May 1 at the school, located at 9025
Tamarack Road.
Tim Harlow • 651-735-1824
