Inspiring HS Students Through Art: Original Mosaic Adorns School Entrance

November 17, 2009

A new mosaic, created by volunteers from the High School of American Studies over the summer at the Lehman College Art Gallery, has been installed above the entrance to the high school. For two weeks, thirteen students toiled on a mosaic that, they decided, was to showcase the most important aspects of the school: sports, academics, and the pursuit of knowledge.

"We were given the freedom to choose, to create whatever we wanted," explains senior Ulysses Rodriguez. Laden with symbolism, the mosaic's sports and academic sections, located on opposite ends, are united by a large centerpiece containing a "tree of knowledge." Sports are an important and popular part of school life, but the students also wanted to convey the value of academics. "Our students are really dedicated and devoted to doing well," explains Rodriguez.

In the academic section, the symbols take on subjects in the curriculum, including math, science, and language. A single atom, the basic building block of life, rests on the top right corner, and below it lies an instrument. "It was a guitar that morphed into a violin," explains senior Jaharia Flores. Students deliberately mixed elements in music and math to express the interrelation between the two subjects. Random letters representing the importance of language also grace this section. Realizing that the mosaic would be viewed from both sides, students only chose letters that would appear the same on either side of the glass, such as "W," "T," and "Y."

The defining piece of the mosaic is a large tree that rests on the appropriately named "book of knowledge." The book, from which the tree grows, symbolizes the importance of the pursuit of knowledge.

"This is a perfect example of how a high school and a college can collaborate," explains Principal Alessandro Weiss. "About one hundred students take classes at Lehman each semester, so the mosaic is just another facet of our growing relationship."

Opened in Fall 2002 as a partnership between Lehman College, the Gilder Lehrman Institute, and the City's Department of Education, the school was selected by U.S. News & World Report in both 2008 and 2009 as one of the "Top 100 High Schools" in the country. It was ranked as the number one high school in the Bronx, second in both New York City and New York State, and 29th in the nation.

—Christina Dumitrescu ('11)