Students at Pennsbury's Eleanor Roosevelt create tile mosaic with resident artist David Woods

PENNSBURY Eleanor Roosevelt Elementary School students are having a blast piecing together their part of a giant puzzle.

Truth be told, its not a giant puzzle, but a mosaic made from a variety of colored tile pieces that will grace the schools interior by June.

All of the approximately 570 students at the school, as well as staff members and community members, are working on the mural at the school under the direction of David Woods, the artist in residence with the Pennsbury School District.

Students like Layla Jenkins, 11, who said she enjoys working with shapes. Students like Ryan Ward, 10, who likes looking through the tiles and choosing colors and shapes. He likes the glass tiles the most. Students like Megan Cimochowski, 11, who likes using blues, greens and purples.

The mural will be more than shapes and colors. It will include inspirational quotes from the schools namesake that will weave throughout the mural around circular geometric designs. The theme will reinforce the schools character education initiative.

Woods has designed the mural with help from the students and art teacher Pamela Soda. Students will create some tiles for the mural in art class and will work in small groups to place tiles on the mural.

Students learn to work cooperatively to create this piece of public art, said Soda. Parent volunteers will play an important role in helping the children as they work.

Soda said the creation of the mosaic is a big project.

This is the largest school-wide undertaking of my career, Soda said. I am very excited for our whole school community.

Eleanor Roosevelts mural has been financed through a donation from the PTO, as well as grants from the Pennsbury Arts Foundation, the Pennsbury Education Foundation, Pennsbury Partners, and the Philadelphia Arts in Education Partnership, a division of the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts. Continued...

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Students at Pennsbury's Eleanor Roosevelt create tile mosaic with resident artist David Woods