Continuously serving Kosciusko County since 1854
NORTH MANCHESTER - Manchester Junior High School students, faculty and community members recently completed construction of a 10-foot sculpture of a Page, the school's mascot. Dedication day for the Page was Friday in MJHS' auditorium.
Since the end of September, MJHS students and faculty have been worked with parents, community members and local businesses to complete this "Page in History." Assembling the Page began Nov. 6.
MJHS art teacher and project organizer Lynn Watson said the project has brought together students, parents and patrons. She calls the two-week project the MJHS Artist-In-Residence 2000 project.
The 10-foot, three-dimensional abstract sculpture was built with recycled items from the community with guidance from Joe LaMantia, a visual arts instructor for more than 15 years, from Bloomington.
LaMantia stayed with host families Bernie and Vicki Ferringer, Bob and Sally Krouse and Grant and Darla Miller during the two-week project. LaMantia has been creating collaborative sculptures since 1993.
At Friday's dedication ceremony, past MJHS principals spoke to students and faculty and MHS freshman and original Page artist Mathis Miller was honored. Miller's drawing of the Page from his eighth-grade year was chosen by students and faculty to be used as the model for the sculpture.
Dedication day consisted of a medieval dinner for students prior to the ceremony. The school choir sang "How Merrily We Live" and the school song at the ceremony, and the school band played Renaissance trumpets, "Music for Queen Mary," "The Power of a Dream" and the school song.
Watson said she hopes the Page sculpture "will become a Page in history with the integrity he has been long needing."
Anyone interested in viewing the sculpture can visit the school Web site at www.mcs.k12.in.us/mjh
