Ecole St. Adolphe School students had one more reason to celebrate on June 29. Not only was it their last day of school, but they hosted a Canada 150 celebration and ceremony to commemorate the unveiling of the new mural painted on the east wall of the school.
Students, staff, and community residents participated in festivities during the noon hour, including a lunch of pizza, chips, carrots, water, and ice cream and tunes from local musician Rheanne Gagnon. MP Ted Falk and MLA Bob Lagasse greeted the crowd, and the students received a warm send-off from Principal Laird Laluk. The finale included a singing of “Happy Birthday” for Canada and a group photo showcasing the new mural.
The St. Adolphe Subcommittee, of the Ritchot Community Development Corporation, had applied for Canada 150 funding to undertake the mural project. Patrimoine Canada/Canadian Heritage funded the project with $6,000 and required youth engagement. With the assistance of mural artists Mandy van Leeuwen and Michel Saint Hilaire, and local artist Tanya Waddell, the subcommittee coordinated the sketching of ideas and painting the final product.
Teachers provided classroom flexibility so that over 100 students could provide input and assistance with the actual painting, which is titled “Active Living in St. Adolphe.”
Notably, all the imagery within the white banner portion of the mural was painted by the students themselves. The sky showcases black birds (Chimney Swifts), as St. Adolphe is the Manitoba nesting capital for Chimney Swifts, an at-risk species. The words in the cloud resonate the school motto: “Be responsible, be respectful, be encouraging, and be safe”—all qualities that we as Canadians strive for.
Overall, the mural took eight days to sketch and paint.
The colourful wallscape, visible from St. Adolphe Road, provides the finishing touches to a new community recreation space that has been several years in development. Local volunteers from the St. Adolphe Community Greenspace Committee have also planted a myriad of flowers, perennials, and shrubs to further beautify the space.
With teamwork from the students and assistance from artist Mandy van Leeuwen, who just returned from working on the Churchill Sea Wall Project, residents of St. Adolphe now have a piece of history to commemorate active living and Canada’s anniversary.
