Pines Bridge Students Make a Lasting Impression

From Ellen Lane, Putnam-Northern Westchester BOCES:

By the time the mosaic is completed, every student at the Pines Bridge School in Yorktown Heights will have had his or her hands on it. That’s the way they like to do things at Pines Bridge where faculty and students are more like family than at your typical school.

The mosaic of colorful tiles, with the school’s initials in the center, is this summer’s special project for the students who attend the extended year program. It was made possible by the volunteer efforts of Jenny Bender, a Yorktown artist with a nearby studio.

A Pines Bridge staff member who goes to the studio to create her own mosaics happen to mention that it might make a good project for the students, and Bender was happy to oblige.

Pines Bridge staff donated the tiles for the project and teachers have worked with Bender and the students to make the artwork a reality.

“We always try to come up with a project to bring the students together and make the summer special,” said Chris Egan, summer school administrator.

“This is a great project for our students because everyone can be successful and participate,” said Roberta Tuttle, a teacher of the visually impaired. “Some students used a hammer to smash the tiles into pieces because they did not have the fine motor skills needed to glue the individual pieces; others have come in and glued pieces to the board.”