FORT ATKINSON — St. Joseph School in Fort Atkinson recently celebrated the completion of a new mosaic, made by the students and community members.

The mosaic, an image of St. Francis of Assisi, is part of a partnership with Josh Winer, an artist who was invited to orchestrate the design and to guide students through the process of making a mosaic.

This year’s project is the third time the school has done a community mosaic with Winer, with prior years resulting in a mosaic of “Jesus, Fisher of Men,” in the lobby of the school and a mosaic of the Holy Family in the cafeteria. 

Winer has also done mosaics for St. Joseph Church.

This year’s mosaic, like the prior projects, is a collaboration. 

In addition to students of all ages participating, work was done by members of the pastorate, school alumni, the church youth group, and others. 

The alumni night was a special highlight of the project, as alumni from high schoolers through to those in their 60s participated, including some alumni who now have children of their own in the school.

The mosaic is made with pieces of tile, glass, and clay, and was designed to be durable, as the image is now hanging on the outside of the school. 

Materials came from far and wide, including tiles from Mexico, France, and Italy. 

After the materials came in, they were prepared by the students. 

Students smashed the tiles into manageable pieces and created the clay animals that would be part of the project. 

Then the student body and community volunteers put the mosaic together, piece by piece. 

The image is of St. Francis of Assisi, holding out his hands to birds, surrounded by a halo and various small animals. 

The subject is particularly fitting for this year, as it is the Jubilee Year of St. Francis on the 800th anniversary of his death.

“I feel truly blessed to be back with everyone here at school and working on our new mosaic that reflects the beauty and values of the beloved St. Francis of Assisi,” said Winer. 

“This is my fourth time here, spread out over the last 16 years. Each time is both a personal and professional adventure.” 

The mosaic was publicly unveiled and blessed on April 16, a day that, in the midst of a week of bad weather, managed to be clear and warm. 

Two students gave brief speeches discussing their experience. One of the students shared an acronym of the word ‘mosaic,’ highlighting words like ‘matter,’ ‘savor,’ and ‘appreciation.’ He talked about how the mosaic drew everyone together, each person’s contribution uniting to make something they can all be proud of.

Msgr. Donn Heiar, parochial administrator of St. Teresa of Calcutta Pastorate, was present to bless the mosaic. He prayed, “Heavenly Father . . . In each piece of this mosaic, we see a reflection of Your creative love; many parts brought together as one, just as You gather your people into the mystical body of Christ . . . Bless this mosaic. May all who gaze upon it be inspired to follow the example of St. Francis: to live simply, to care for creation, to seek peace, and to love as Christ loves.” 

After the prayer, the students eagerly chanted a countdown to the reveal: “10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 . . . ” 

The mosaic was revealed! There were immediate cries of “Oh!” and delighted clapping. 

A clamor of voices rang out as the students shared with each other their excitement and pride in their work. The sun caught on the shiny tiles, while warming the colors of the clay elements. It was beautiful. 

The hubbub died down again as everyone sang, “Make me a channel of your peace.” 

After the celebration, the kids snacked on animal crackers while the adults were given cannoli that had been made by the sixth-grade class.

The event was also an opportunity to offer gratitude to all those who made the project possible. Sally 
Koehler, coordinator of the Art Enrichment Committee at St. Joseph School, thanked her fellow committee members, the home and school association, and the many sponsors and donors who made the project possible.

The Art Enrichment Committee, which aims to provide students with opportunities for performing arts, visual arts, music, and more, is not funded directly by the school or parish. It is supported by private donors, many of whom give in honor of or in memory of loved ones. 

Thanks to their generosity, the committee has a very successful history of providing students with a range of opportunities beyond ordinary art classes, from circus performance to African drumming. 

This year’s mosaic project gave the students a chance to be part of something that will be proudly on display at the school for years to come.