Mural at St. Raymond showcases talents
A new, original mural now adorns the lobby of St. Raymond Catholic School, 300 S. Elmhurst Ave., thanks to the hard work of an Arlington Heights artist, 24 students and assorted parent volunteers.
Cindy Kiernicki, the parent of four St. Raymond students and a professional freelance illustrator, designed the 72-by-153-inch acrylic on canvas mural.
Much of the work, however, was done by 24 children who became involved in a mural club that Kiernicki ran over a three-month period last spring.
Kiernicki sketched out the drawing. The children then went over the outlines with Sharpie markers and put in the background colors like the brown and white of an owl.
Over the summer, Kiernicki finished it off with the details like fur and hair and lighting and the mural was unveiled in a ceremony last month.
The theme of the mural is that we are all called to be God's children, Kiernicki said, and it depicts Jesus sitting in the Tree of Life with children of many colors (but wearing St. Raymond uniforms) playing music, pushing each other on swings and otherwise interacting with each other all around him.
The church motto of "All are Welcome" is the banner and the school's very lengthy motto is also incorporated into the artwork.
"The idea is that all of our talents are gifts from God and if we only use them to make money, we are missing the point," Kiernicki explained. "We are meant to use our talents to inspire, serve, lift up, heal, bring peace, teach and help others to grow."
Symbolism is rampant throughout the mural, as well. For instance, the owl signifies wisdom while the sparrow is God's care, the lion and the lamb are peace, the squirrel is hard work and the cat is playfulness.
Stop in when the school has its annual open house in January to see this wonderful example of a community effort.
Prospect Food Drive: Prospect High School's Service Club, recently completed its annual Holiday Food Drive and had the biggest total collection in the drive's history.
Second period classes collected more than 3,600 nonperishable food items, exceeding last year's total by about 750 items.
The food will be donated to the Mount Prospect Food Pantry and C.E.D.A. Northwest to help feed needy local families in the coming weeks.
"Once again our students and staff came through in a big way," said
Service Club faculty sponsor Dave Jacobson. "Their response to the need
in our community has been very heartwarming."
Holiday Market: Home party demonstrators like Avon, Tupperware, Tastefully Simple and Longaberger Baskets will converge on the Mount Prospect Park District's Friendship Park Conservatory, 395 Algonquin Road, Des Plaines from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., Saturday for a holiday marketplace.
You will be able to purchase those merchants' items without hosting people in your home. And while you are there, you can enjoy the conservatory's atrium which will be decked out in holiday splendor.
Exercise Feast: Before you start chowing down on that turkey next Thursday, plan on attending the Thanksgiving Day Exercise Feast from 8:30 to 9:45 a.m. at RecPlex, 420 W. Dempster St.
The cost for this popular and energetic 75-minute class is $10. It will include cardio, toning, stretching and relaxation exercises.
Proceeds will benefit the Juvenile Diabetes Foundation. Space is limited and the class always fills quickly, so register early at (847) 640-1000.