In September, there was a gathering at Sawtooth Mountain Elementary School to celebrate a new addition to the school courtyard—a beautiful tiled circle mosaic. After the dedication, students circled the mosaic for a close look at the symbols re-created in tile.
The Sawtooth Mountain Elementary School courtyard has become a vibrant and lovely place for students, teachers and community members to spend time in recent years with the construction of raised garden beds and an arbor. On Thursday, September 13, a beautiful new addition was dedicated—a Grand Portage Band of Lake Superior Chippewa flag mosaic.
A large crowd gathered in the courtyard, around the beautiful circle tile mosaic depicting the symbols on the Grand Portage flag as a drum group played. Members of the youth drum the Stonebridge Singers were joined by adult singers and they welcomed the community to the celebration.
After the drum song faded, Tom Jack, the School District 166 Ojibwe language teacher, spoke, first in Ojibwe and then in English. He introduced himself and gave a welcome. He said he was very happy to see the completed mosaic. Jack noted that the project had involved many people who worked hard to see it become a reality. “This is a nice location, among the garden and the flowers,” said Jack. “Miigwech.”
Sawtooth Mountain Elementary Principal Gwen Carman welcomed the community and noted how wonderful it was to have this beautiful courtyard where once a fuel tank had been buried. She also said that many people had worked to build the courtyard as well as the new mosaic.
Carman said the mosaic includes the symbols of the Grand Portage—Gichionigaming—flag and she asked some students to come forward. Patrick Pierre, John Pierre, Isaiah Deschampe, and Kasia Deschampe came forward, bearing the flag. Kaylee Pervais gave an interesting explanation of the meaning of the items on the flag—the pipe, the arrow, the turtle and the deer.
Carman introduced the many people key to creating the beautiful mosaic, which she said is teacher Jana Larson’s seventh mural project. Carman thanked Charlie, Deb and Dyami Blackwell, who visited the classroom to speak about cultural traditions and the native symbols on the Grand Portage flag.
Carman said last year’s 5th graders took part in making the mural. Each student did “bits and pieces” to create the bigger project. She said she was proud of the cooperative effort.
She said thanks to David and Joanne Stuart whose financial support helped with construction of the mosaic. She asked David to speak and Stuart just grinned at the crowd of students. “It’s just wonderful seeing all you young people here!” he said.
Other funding came from an Education Minnesota classroom grant for tile and supplies. Other people who assisted were Lena Santos, Susan Roy, Sissy Lunde and Stephanie Anderson and artist-in-residence Kelly Dupre.
Carman asked Jeff Kern, who has no students at Sawtooth Elementary but who worked very hard to get the big outer ring for the mosaic unloaded and assembled, along with Sawtooth maintenence staff, to speak. Kern said a project like this,which takes a lot of people, doesn’t benefit one person—it benefits many. “It benefits the community when we create and preserve a piece of art like this,” he said. “We hope you come back many, many years from now to visit it.”
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