Mural graces elementary school's entrance hall

Adream wandered the halls of the Conover Road Elementary School. The dream wanted to change a plain brick wall and a wooden bench in the Colts Neck school's front hall into a beautiful, colorful work of art.

A ceramic mural and bench that was created in the entrance hallway of the Conover Road Elementary School, Colts Neck, bears a message from author Shel Silverstein, which says, "If you are a dreamer, come in." The dream became a reality in the form a multihued tile mosaic that covers the brick wall and bench, thanks to the idea of a principal and the work of the school's teachers, students and parents.

Now, what greets students, staff members and visitors is a colorful mosaic that includes pieces of blue, yellow and red tile, hand-blown glass, mirrors, shells, beach glass and stones. The mosaic depicts an abstract mural of two dream-like figures entering doorway. The words, "If you are a dreamer, come in," a quote from "Where the Sidewalk Ends" by Shel Silverstein, are interwoven among the shards.

"Joan Kilcommons, our principal who retired last year, suggested that perhaps something could be done to make the front hall more colorful and welcoming," said Sherri Rao, the school's art teacher. "She asked Cara Rulli, a third-grade teacher, to join me and apply for a PTO minigrant."

The grant was approved in November 2006. The construction of the art project started in April and was completed in August.

Twelve students who were fifth-graders during the 2006-07 school year were selected to volunteer with the overall design of the mural. Some of the students' individual designs surround the bottom of the bench. This was an after-school and a summer project.

"The students submitted designs, and after a consensus, the abstract mural resulted, " said Rao, who has been the school's art teacher for 10 years. "The quote is meaningful for [students entering] the third, fourth and fifth grades and coming from the Conover Road Primary School into the elementary school as a learning place for new ideas and dreams."

It was a new art project for Rao,

Nancy Radman, a computer teacher, and Nancy Plumfield, a reading enrichment teacher, who helped with the construction of the mural.

"None of us had ever created a mosaic or worked with tile," said Rao, who has a Bachelor's Degree in art education from the University of Dayton, Ohio. "We were learning as we went along. We bought small and large pieces of tile. The students wore protective goggles and broke the larger pieces. We would lay out part of the design on the floor, take it down the hall and place it in the grout on the wall. It continued that way until it was done."

Rao learned to love art from her artist father, Henry Harson, a French native who now lives in Vermont, and her mother, Elizabeth, a writer, now deceased. She stressed the importance of art in the lives of children.

"It is so important that children be exposed to art and learn to love it," said Rao. "Art brings out creativity in their lives. This mural was a labor of love that not only beautified the school, but will

hopefully inspire many lives."

A formal unveiling of the mosaic mural and a dedication ceremony that included a PowerPoint presentation by Principal Jeff Huguenin took place at the school Nov. 5. The invited guests included former principal Joan Kilcommons, the members of PTO minigrant committee and members of the Colts Neck Board of Education.

The students involved with the creation of the mural and their families were also invited to the dedication ceremony. The students, now attending Cedar Drive Middle School, are Johnny Kavanagh, Kris Kohm, Nicholas Najmy, Taylor Vill, Ashley Basile, Gracie Dalton, Shane Whelan, Jenna Najjar, Bianca Ferro, Alexandra Ponzio, Gabrielle Roth and Kirsten Spruch.

A permanent plaque was attached next to the mural that reads: "This dream was realized in 2007 with Shel Silverstein's words, Joan Kilcommons' vision and the

artistry of the Conover Road

Elementary School community."