(Photo: Chinook's Edge School Division)

By rdnewsNOW staff

"Choose happiness"

Innisfail High School students collaborate on Anne Frank mural

Apr 6, 2021 | 3:46 PM

Thirty-six Innisfail High School students from Art 10, 20 and 30 worked together to create a unique mural to join the school’s original art display.

Students at the school have already created artwork depicting influential figures such as Terry Fox and Albert Einstein, and they collaborated on who they should commemorate next.

“We wanted this to be a collective piece, so we worked together to determine who our subject should be,” said teacher Rob Burton. “One of our students suggested Anne Frank and we were all immediately struck by the idea.

“Anne Frank has influenced many people and has an incredibly strong legacy that our students learn about in multiple subject areas over several years. She is an indominable spirit and she, too, was a student. As the mosaic took shape, I think a lot of students were struck by the importance and influence of this figure in history.

“I re-read The Diary of a Young Girl and was
reminded of her efforts to cling to the beauty and
goodness in herself and the world around her. She
chose to hold onto her own happiness, which is
incredibly solid advice for the times we are in.”
Rob Burton, teacher.

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“One of the things I loved about this project was reflecting and revisiting the story. Anne Frank is a rare gift. This 15 year old was wise beyond her years and we had such strong conversations around this as a class. Her impact is even greater when you consider how very many things we have to be grateful for, of course.

“Her image now hangs as a beautiful permanent piece in this building. I’ve seen a lot of amazing art come through this school, and this is one of my favourite teaching experiences ever. We are all so proud to be part of it,” said Mr. Burton.

(Sandy Bexon – Chinook’s Edge School Division)