Greater Latrobe School District has a unique collection at the high school. As students and staff walk down the hallway, they get to see something unique, something that most schools don’t have. They get to walk past hundreds of beautiful pieces of artwork. The high school has had its collection since 1936, starting with two paintings. The junior high started its collection in 2011, and finally, the elementary schools began in 2000.
Every year, the student council goes to the Latrobe Art Center to pick out different types of art from paintings to sculptures, all by local artists. They present them to the student body. Then, all grade levels vote on the art piece they want added to the school. The art piece with the most votes is purchased and becomes a part of the Greater Latrobe collection. Over the years, there have been a total of 221 paintings, and 48 paintings being donated to the school.
While the paintings are captivating pieces to look at, Mrs. Stallings’ tenth-grade students take it a step further. These sophomores think deeper into the meaning of the paintings and eventually create a poem. Capturing and presenting what the artist wanted people to take away from their creation. Mrs. Stallings thinks poetry is an excellent subject to study and reflect on. She says, “I saw the students were really intrigued by poetry and understanding a high level of rigor and comprehension to be able to read poetry and understand it.”
Students thinking deeper can help with upcoming or future tests and classes, specifically students taking AP Language and Composition. Junior Gabe Watson said, “Using the paintings in class last year to write a poem helped me to break down the speeches and passages we read in AP Lang, seeing from the point of view of the then artist and now the author.”
Even teachers, like Mrs. Stallings, can appreciate what this assignment can do to the brains and mindsets of these students. Now, putting the breaks on teachers’ feet in the halls, curious about what their students are reading and explaining. Stallings said, “But also teachers in the hallway are stopping to listen to them read, I’ve had multiple teachers stop.” While this project is impacting students and their fellow friends and peers, it’s also piqued the interest of the faculty.
The sophomores express themselves through the poems. Stallings said, “I’m really inspired by my students. Their dedication to themselves and then to the art. They own a favorite piece and they own their poem.” This can lead to students showing their creativity and how they individualize the art into a creation of their own. While there’s plenty of art to pick from, some students wrote about the same piece, but each poem comes from a completely different perspective from the last. Mrs. Stallings said, “There were three or four different students that did the same painting, but to put them all together you can see the poems in a different light.”
The art can speak for itself, or have the students speak about the art. Though some don’t notice the breathtaking paintings, some students take it to the next level, finding a way to express themselves. “Whether it’s in their being or on a painting or in the poetry we’re reading, they find their voice and style too. Isn’t that awesome?” Mrs. Stallings adds. At Greater Latrobe, the students and staff have a great opportunity to be creative and think outside of the box.
Student’s Answers
“I chose, ‘Valley Stream,’ by Lee Pohland 1957. I chose this piece because it reminded me of an old Disney movie. The beauty, nostalgia, and emotion the painting showed to me, I had to write about how it made me feel. – Brooklyn Springer ‘27
“I chose, ‘Cafe Borgia,’ by Pat Jarvsink. I thought the painting held a symbolic meaning of moving through life. The poem talks about how people move through life, but one does not. A man on the street is not fully blurry if the rest, almost as if he was standing still.” – Keagan Shirley ‘27
“I chose, ‘The End of Summer,’ painted by Majorie Laird, I picked this certain painting because it reminded me of the camp where I grew up, and the pain I felt at the end of summer, when I go back to the real world. Truly my poem is about longings and pain for what it was.”- Leah Olson ‘27
“I chose, ‘Cafe Borgia,’ by Pat Jarusniski. I picked it because it seemed reflective. I used this feeling in my poem to describe how the viewer feels. I made the narrator as if they were on the street in the painting.”- Olivia McClellan ‘27
“I chose, ‘The Slight of a Good Drive,’ by Kathuy Rafferty because I love the game of golf and I appreciate the expression and emission in the painting of Arnold Palmer.” – Dom Scarton ‘27
