Beautiful stained glass windows shine on at Bradley Gardens

A team effort has produced a beautiful work of art at the Bradley Gardens Primary School.

A joint effort of five teachers and their students resulted in stained glass that is featured on two windows at Bradley Gardens.

 The leader of this talented team is the art teacher at the school, Ms. Jessica Marchand.

“These are the classes that created the stained glass pieces—1st Grade with Ms. Tiberio, 2nd Grade with Ms. McNulty, 3rd Grade with Ms. Maciolek, 4th Grade with Ms. Heffernan and some of Mr. Perler’s students,’’ Ms. Marchand reported.

Ms. Marchand went on to explain how this project came about.

“The students had a blast discovering what stained glass was, how it was made, why people make it, where it is in our communities, and how we can make our own at our school,” she said.

She continued.

“Some students knew what it was and had seen it before. Some had seen it in their homes, hotels, museums, places of worship, or even in the movies. It was fun looking at pictures, talking about the colors, shapes, and lines they saw within the windows, and discovering why stained glass might be made. Sometimes it tells a story and sometimes it is for decoration.”

Ms. Marchand then shared on the process and work efforts of the students.

“Each class spent three weeks designing, coloring and painting their own faux stained glass pieces. We used clear paper, sharpies and some hand sanitizer to create the stained glass effect on clear plastic paper. The students had a ton of fun creating their individual pieces, but it was even more fun as they watched me hang all the pieces together to make two big stained glass windows at the school.”

The end result was the reaction of the students that made this project so fulfilling.

“As I was hanging them up, the students were in awe of how they all looked together. It was a fun project, but even more fun to watch the students create a collaborative piece of art using old supplies in a new way,” Ms. Marchand revealed.

She also had a message to everyone at the school and visitors to Bradley Gardens.

“We hope you enjoy it, too. And don’t forget to check it out towards the end of the school day. When the sun hits it around 3:30, it creates these beautiful colors all over the floor and walls.

Bradley Gardens Principal Barbara Binford is proud and delighted with the new decoration. 

 "This truly brightened up our hallways for every student and visitor to walk by and enjoy,” Principal Binford declared.