It’s not every day that students can leave their marks on a school building without getting in trouble – and it’s even less common for the mark to stay there. Now anyone can!
For a donation of $500 or more to the 50th anniversary fund, the donor receives a personalized ceramic tile. The tiles, which are 4 inches by 8 inches, terracotta colored and personalized, will be placed on the wall standing between the front office and the new middle-school building.
Tiles were also gifted to donors who contributed $500 or more to the building fund for the recently constructed Middle School Science, Math and Technology building.
Amy Nelson Wells, alumni director and development coordinator, said what’s on the tiles, which will be like this sample, is supposed to be a surprise.
Approximately 109 ceramic tiles were ordered on Sept. 16 from the company Laser Impressions, with about 59 of them from the 50th anniversary fund and 50 from the building fund, according to Amy Nelson Wells, alumni director and development coordinator.
She said that the inspiration for the anniversary tiles came from meetings between the former development director, Wendy Ross, and the anniversary chair, Richard Mancina, ’73.
Ross says that she and others want the tiles to become an ongoing tradition for the next 50 years.
“(The tiles would be) placed and added to throughout the campus, beginning with the anniversary year and on into the future,” Ross said.
The installation date is yet to be determined, as it depends on when the tiles are ready, Wells said. She thinks that they will be delivered about six weeks after ordering them.
The ceramic tiles already ordered will go up soon after they arrive, which is estimated to be near the end of October. Tiles that are ordered later will be added as they are received.
Wells said that it is hard to say how many more tiles will be ordered.
“Our hope is that seeing the tiles in place will encourage more people to make donations,” she said. “It’s a great opportunity to make your imprint on campus. How else can you carve your name on a school building without getting in trouble?”
Wells wouldn’t reveal what’s on any of the tiles, as she said they’re supposed to be a surprise.
—By Mohini Rye
