Todd's School Mural Unveiled at Art Festival

From the Briarcliff schools:

Todd Elementary School’s annual Art & Music Festival showcased some of the work students have completed this school year, including the yearlong mural project that involved every single student and many faculty members.

The mural was unveiled in the hallway, with each tile representing the school’s “Habits of Mind” themes, including stewardship, peace, sustainability and the Golden Rule of Todd School.

“The kids worked very hard on [the tiles], and I think they came out phenomenal,” commented Briarcliff Manor Board of Education President Jennifer Rosen.

Todd art teacher Paul Villaneuva said the mural was truly a collaboration.

“This project is symbolic of the community and our school,” he said. “This was an all-encompassing project by our students, who never cease to amaze me with what they are able to complete.”

The mural will be on display indefinitely, giving the student-artists the ability to show off their hard work even after they have left Todd.

“This is a really special project,” said Cliff Mendelson, the guest artist who oversaw the project alongside Villaneuva. “Every student was involved, and it is a real statement that will stand the test of time.”

The festival also allowed students the chance to show their families other works of art they completed this year, including fourth-graders’ photorealistic drawings and paintings, fifth-graders’ printmaking and third-graders’ block printing. The fourth- and fifth-grade artwork included QR codes, which family members could read with their mobile devices to view corresponding online glogs (virtual posters) that the students had created.

The event concluded with a piano recital by Todd NYSSMA students and the fifth-grade spring concert.

Photo: At its annual Art and Music Festival, Todd Elementary School unveiled its new mural project, a year-long effort that involved every student in the school.

Photos Courtesy of the Briarcliff Manor Union Free School District