Yarn graffiti beautifies science classroom

When Lyons Township High School science teacher Kurt Engel walked into his classroom last week, he saw an explosion of color decked out on each chair. He had been “yarn bombed” by fellow science teacher Janice Lonnroth in honor of his upcoming retirement. Yarn bombing is a type of graffiti that employs colorful displays of knitted or crocheted yarn rather than paint or chalk. It was first conceived by knitters trying to find a creative way to use leftover and unfinished knitting projects. Graffiti knitting, as it is often referred to, often reclaims and personalizes public places.

“When I opened the door to the physics room, I was completely surprised. The room had morphed into an explosion of color,” Engel said. “I always thought teaching in room 249, which is a mini lecture room with tiered seating, was a privilege. The students could really see what I was doing and had a great view from above for lab demonstrations. The students liked the new face given to the room. They commented on how comfortable it looked and felt. They were as surprised as I was to see the transformation,” he added.

Lonnroth, who started crocheting 14 years ago, spent about 10 hours on the project. “I wanted to do it before Kurt retired because he is such a fantastic teacher and had a huge impact on how I teach,” Lonnroth said. “I thought it was particularly fitting because there are hundreds of hours of work in the pieces of crochet I used, but that time pales in comparison to the amount of time Kurt has spent in that classroom working to inspire kids for the last 28 years at LT,” she added.

According to Engel, “Room 249 has been my home away from home for almost 28 years. Even though it is just a physical place, I will always remember my time spent in the room - teaching and interacting with a few thousand students who were just spending 50 minutes a day learning about physics for one year of their high school experience.”

This isn’t the first time Lonnroth has put her knitting talents to use. A few years ago, she dressed the bronze lioness statue outside the North Campus Fieldhouse in a pink sweater in honor of National Breast Cancer Awareness Month.