Laurel Oaks masonry students collaborate to beautify Wilmington neighborhood park

Five current and recent Laurel Oaks Career Campus masonry program students from Highland County schools are among 31 students who helped build a concrete block wall—the first step in a collaborative project to beautify a Wilmington park.

The L-shaped wall, built under a shelter at the Southeast Community Park, will be decorated in the spring of 2015 with tiles painted by Wilmington City Schools’ fourth and fifth graders, according to Lori Kersey Williams, the director of Wilmington’s parks.

A Tucson tile artist who grew up in Wilmington, the area’s largest employer and several other volunteers rounded out the collaborative effort.

Laurel Oaks students from Highland County schools who helped on the project were Raven Pollard (Leesburg Fairfield), Brandon Bolender (Leesburg Fairfield), Chance Cowman (Greenfield McClain), Tom Zumwalde (Leesburg Fairfield), and Austin Arias (Leesburg Fairfield).

In addition to Highland County schools, students from Clinton and Fayette County schools helped on the project.

Laurel Oaks masonry instructor Shawn Wilkin and his students often assist with similar projects in Clinton, Highland and Fayette Counties, including a veterans’ display in Hillsboro. Laurel Oaks is located at the Wilmington Air Park. Wilkin supervised the park wall construction undertaken by his students, with some assistance from park staff.

The masonry program at Laurel Oaks teaches students to read architectural plans; cut, chip, and fit concrete block, brick, or glass block; mix and use bonding materials; estimate materials and costs; and lay stone and pavers, according to Wilkin.

The park project tile artist is park director Williams’ sister, Jennifer Kersey Furrier, a Wilmington High School graduate who visited from Arizona in October to work with nearly 500 elementary students from Denver Place, East End and Holmes on the project, according to Karen Long, principal of Denver Place.

Furrier pre-cut thousands of pieces of tile in different shapes that were prepared for mounting with the help of volunteer John Stanforth, a retired Wilmington contractor. The elementary students painted and signed tiles that will be adhered (grouted) to the wall in the spring with the assistance of Laurel Oaks students, Stanforth and others.

Park neighbors Syndi and Sheila McGee helped create the large welcome tile that will be affixed to the wall.

Furrier chose a seasonal theme so the tiles are in the shapes of things such as flowers, mittens, and leaves. Some of the tile artwork is on display at Denver, the school Furrier attended in the 1970s.

“The ‘firing’ of the mosaic tile was done in Wilmington, thanks to R+L Carriers, who provided transportation of the large kiln and tiles for the project,” Williams said. R+L Carriers is a 40-year-old Wilmington-based trucking company with more than 10,000 employees across the country.

“This is a concerted effort to beautify that park and make it more welcoming and inviting,” Long said. “Our students are excited to have a piece of artwork displayed at the park for everyone to see.”

Furrier has a passion for working with students on projects like these, according to her YouTube promotional video. “She loves working with children and seeing their work displayed,” Williams added. “She has done this at a number of schools around Tucson.”
Williams said a special unveiling involving all the groups that made the project possible will be held after it is completed.

Great Oaks specializes in career development and technical training for both high school students and adults. With four campuses--Scarlet Oaks in Sharonville, Diamond Oaks in Dent, Live Oaks in MIlford, and Laurel Oaks in Wilmington--Great Oaks offers the chance for high school students to prepare for careers and college and for adults to get training and certification to begin a new career or advance in a current career.