Library mural celebrates students’ cultural heritage
"It is a great reflection of who we are as a school, who we are as a community."
Caulfield Junior College (CJC) unveiled its new library mural on June 23, which celebrates the cultural backgrounds of its students.
The beautiful mural painted by Shannon Lamden from “Hey, Nice Murals”, includes designs by the children, as well as Australian, French and Jewish motifs. It was developed with CJC librarian Lisa Hermelin.
Lamden told The AJN, “I really wanted to make something bright and fun that the kids and the teachers would come in and enjoy.”
CJC teaches 545 students of which around 130 are Jewish. To make the Jewish students feel included the mural includes the Hebrew word “Shalom” meaning peace, hello and goodbye.
It also reflects the programs run by UJEB at CJC including a weekly Jewish Life class in which students learn about Jewish festivals, Shabbat, traditions, Israel and basic Hebrew, and a Hebrew Immersion Program which runs three times a week.
CJC also caters to many French families who study the French Binational Program (FBP), which is represented with French symbols including the Eiffel tower.
The CJC French Binational Program offers bilingual, bicultural education whereby each class is assigned two teachers, French and Australian.
The mural was funded by the French committee and the library budget.
CJC principal Chris Chant told The AJN at the unveiling, “We are very proud to launch and show to the public the first glimpse of our mural that’s been added to the library.
“The school was built in 1914 and a lot has changed in our school since then, and this is just another addition to what we are doing around our school to reflect who our school is, who the students are in our school, and where they come from, and the very culturally significant pieces that are embedded in our mural reflect who our community is.
“It is a great reflection of who we are as a school, who we are as a community.”
A CJC student said at the unveiling of the mural, “A big thank you to Shannon for painting this amazing mural because it brings light and colour to the library.”
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