Cold Lake Elementary School students turned a fence on 8th Street into a public art gallery, using handmade artwork to thank people in the community.
COLD LAKE – Cold Lake Elementary School students turned a fence on 8th Street into a public art gallery, using handmade artwork to thank people in the community.
The Cold Lake Elementary Fence Art Takeover was held May 6 and 7, during Mental Health Week. Student artwork was displayed along the school fence for community members to view and take home at no cost.
Principal Chris Vining said the project was meant to connect students with the wider community, while recognizing the people who support Cold Lake in different ways.
“For this year for Mental Health Week, the idea is creating connections,” said Vining.
The idea came from Grade 2 teacher Angie Claude, who had seen another school do a similar project. Vining said Claude brought the idea to him and assistant principal Twyla Moore, and the staff saw it as a good fit for Mental Health Week.
The school reached out to service providers, emergency services, city departments, recreation staff, public works, seniors’ facilities, healthcare workers, and other groups, inviting them to stop by and take a piece of student art.
Vining said the project was also a way to bring the school to the public in a safe and accessible way.
“It’s not just the people that we personally invited because now the community can see it. And so, we’ve really pushed that out . . . that this isn’t just a thing for our parents. We want this for the community,” Vining explained.
Students created the artwork over the past couple of weeks during class. Staff helped place the pieces into sleeves to protect them from the weather before hanging them along the fence.
Vining said students were excited to see the display come together and to find out whether someone had taken their artwork home.
“They were very excited,” and there were even kids visiting the display at recess to check and see if somebody had picked their artwork.
He said the project helped younger students understand gratitude in a more tangible way, showing them that kindness can be shared through something as simple as a handmade picture.
The hope, Vining said, is that community members who take a piece of art feel appreciated.
