For this activity, the Page class created a LOVE sign representative of Capitol Square and Virginia’s legislative process. In each of the five assigned groups, classmates were tasked with decorating one letter depicting Capitol Square or the legislative process. Each team had a set amount of materials to decorate their assigned part of the sign.
L – The “L” represents the Senate Journal and House Journal. These are the official records of the regular and special sessions. In order to make the creation of our letter most efficient, we initially planned specific tasks before the day on which we decorated our letter. Our team identified the strengths of each member in the group. For example, those with legible handwriting wrote the letters and those who were good at using scissors cut the paper. When executing the creation of our letter, we stuck to the plan and worked together to accomplish the final product.
O – The compass is significant, because it represents a starting point to reach everything in Virginia. It was a gift from Jonathan Bryan and was made to be the location from which all highway signs are measured. When making the 16-point zero mile marker, we planned what colors to use and how we would construct the dimensions. Our team assigned a specific jobs that were tailored to individual talents and interests. Groups included cutting, sketching, modeling, gluing, coloring and writing. We measured and sketched out our compass. We tried to give our letter a 3-D look using cardboard. We all did our part and had a lot of fun!
V – Our letter shows a connection between the leaders of today and the leaders of tomorrow. We designed our letter based off the Pathway to Liberty, a portion of sidewalk along Bank Street in front of the Capitol. The red rectangles represent bricks, and the names include members of the Senate Page class and current Senators. This reflects the diversity of the Senate Pages and the Senate. Every name on our letter provides support to the Commonwealth in a unique way. We worked as a group to cut, label, level and glue.
E – The “E” represents a tree symbolizing the three branches of state government. The vertical piece serves as the tree trunk and each arm of the letter is a branch. The flowers are dogwood blooms. Each arm includes the name of each branch of government and a description of its duties.
Fountain – The fountains on Capitol Square are an important part of one of the oldest enclosed public parks with one of the most significant gardens in the United States. The fountain adds a calming and beautiful aspect to the landscape of Capitol Square. First, we made an outline of the fountain using black poster board. The tissue paper represents water. Lastly, we used Mr. Finch’s art talent to make the roses that complete the beauty that stands before you today.
Thank you to Bladen Finch, Senate Page Program Director/Civics Coordinator, for the photo and description.