A few lucky birds are poised for colorful new finds thanks to recent creative artwork by students at Leachburg Area High School.
The Birdhouse Project is the latest project by high school art teacher Shayle Prorok. Six students designed and painted a hive last month.
The home will be donated to Cooke Medical in Parkes Township. Cook’s hive was installed in his May.
Cook’s corporate social responsibility officer, Joseph Felshaw, said the birds were quickly moved into their nest boxes.
“Blackbirds, robins and even a few cardinals moved in within days. We are proud to have a birdhouse on display on our campus and home to local wildlife,” he said. said.
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Cook Medical in Parks Township
Junior Helynn Gazda took her design on a whim.
“I was inspired by pictures of fairy houses and fantasy worlds,” Gazda said. “I loved doing this project.
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Helynn Gazda, an art student at Leachburg Area High School, designed a fairy-themed hive that will be donated to Cooke Medical in Parkes Township as part of the art department’s Birdhouse project.
Students spent several weeks working on the hive using acrylic paint and sealing it to make it weatherproof.
Sophomore Eliza Trusiak chooses a popular dessert to decorate her birdhouse.
“It’s an ice cream theme. I thought it would look cute on Campus or Pink Day,” said Trusiak. “My art his style isn’t usually this cute, but it was a fun and interesting project.”
Prorok started this project two years ago and donated six hives to Cook. The new house will donate a total of 12 hives.
“They expect us to add more hives every few months,” Prolock said of the ongoing project.
Students from the Department of Technical Education made their own wooden birdhouses.
“This project is completely in-house,” says Prorok. “It’s important from a community perspective that people can see what’s going on in our classrooms. increase.”
Felshaw said Cook partnered with the Leachburg Area School District to showcase student talent.
“Giving back to where we live is one of the seven values Cook encourages in its employees,” Felshaw said. “We focus on community health, youth education and social enterprise as our corporate social responsibility.”
Senior Jasa Oliver nods to her Ukrainian heritage in her designs.
“The flowers at the top are bathed in Ukrainian folk patterns, and on both sides are the coat of arms of Ukraine,” Oliver said. ”
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A custom Ukrainian-themed birdhouse by Leechburg Area High School art student Jasa Oliver.
The words written in Ukrainian on Oliver’s hive translate as “Glory to Ukraine”.
Superintendent Tiffany Nicks said exhibiting student work in the local community was a win-win proposition.
“Our partnership with Cook Medical is a true gift to our school. It’s great to have a local business that supports our students, staff, curriculum, and is inclusive,” Nicks said.
Three of the hives are very pink.
“My inspiration was raising awareness for breast cancer, and I was happy to give the birds a home,” said new student Sophia Charles.
The hive was on display at Pink Day, a breast cancer research fundraising event held in Leachburg on Saturday.
Junior Azlyn Banicher has incorporated Cooke’s branding into her work.
Vanity drew a green four-leaf clover alongside a pink four-leaf clover to represent breast cancer awareness and her partnership with Cook.
Ryleigh Zamperini used wooden popsicle sticks, stones and pebbles for the hive, placing each individually to create the shingles and roof.
“My theme was an abandoned cottage. The birdhouse was challenging, but I loved everything,” Zamperini said.
Joyce Hanz is a staff writer for Tribune-Review. To contact Joyce, email jhanz@triblive.com or use her Twitter. .