DERRY — It's mural magic at Derry Village Elementary School.
As part of a schoolwide project, students in all grades are creating clay tiles for a mural to be installed in the school's main foyer.
Students are spending time this month working on their individual tiles, all part of a theme, "Make Your Mark" based on a popular book, "The Dot" by Peter Reynolds.
Derry Village art teacher Claire Scanlon said all classes viewed the book via the Tumbleweeds website.
Students also viewed a slide show of various artwork and photographs based on circles and dots.
Each student then took it upon themselves to create their original designs to illustrate a personal "mark."
Some students made their mark by crafting intricate designs using dots made with various tools like straws, screws or small bottle caps.
Others used tools to create their unique tiles.
Fourth-grader Julianna Hodson wrote on her tile project practice sheet that her mark made her happy.
"I like making faces," she said.
A classmate used smaller dots to show a fondness for circles and doughnuts.
Derry pottery/artist Michael Gibbons came to Derry Village to offer his expertise and support for the young sculptors.
He demonstrated how to press the designs into each 2-inch clay square. He told students he put his own mark on each piece of his pottery, too.
"Don't press too hard on the tile," he said. "Some are just textures. There is no right or wrong way to do it." Scanlon said students have received a lot of help.
"Many volunteers have signed up to roll out and cut tiles for the mural, as well as to assist students with imprinting and glazing tiles in the art classes," she said.
Once all the tiles are complete in all classes, Gibbons said, he will take the clay pieces back to his East Derry pottery studio for the final firing in a very hot kiln.
"The tiles will go over 1,500 degrees," Gibbons told students. "That's a hot summer day."
The completed tiles will then be returned to the school for the final installation.
Each grade will have their own color tile as part of the mural.
Scanlon said she hoped to have the mural up on the main foyer wall sometime in March.
The school will celebrate with a grand opening/unveiling ceremony at that time.
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