Art comes alive at St. Francis School

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As Leonardo da Vinci fiddled with his canvas and paints, Mona Lisaworked on her mysterious smile.

Nearby, two girls giggled.

All this took place last week in the hallways of St. FrancisSchool in St. Albans, as fifth-graders prepared for an open house andart show that featured artworks from all grade levels at the school.

Leonardo, portrayed by Conor Lannan, and the Mona Lisa, portrayedby Anna Call, were among the highlights of the open house and artshow on May 11.

A group of fifth-graders also portrayed the figures in da Vinci'sfamous painting, "The Last Supper," as part of the open house.

Art teacher Giuseppina D'Alessio said bringing the artworks tolife gave the students new insights into the famous paintings.

And "I was trying to make something nice for the kids to getinvolved in," said D'Alessio, who has taught art at St. Francis forfive years.

Anna Call said D'Alessio chose her to portray Mona Lisa because"she thought I looked more like her."

To prepare for her role, Anna looked at photos of the famouspainting and practiced imitating Mona Lisa's enigmatic smile. Withcoaching from D'Alessio, Anna also placed her hands in the sameposition as the real Mona Lisa's.

D'Alessio purchased fabric and made Mona Lisa's clothes as well asthe clothing for the students in "The Last Supper."

Conor Lannan's mother, Kim, made his Leonardo da Vinci outfit forhim. Completing the look, he also wore a fake beard.

"We researched to see what [Leonardo] was like. We read books andsearched the Internet," Conor said.

The students learned that Leonardo was not only an artist, but aninventor, as well.

"He invented the bicycle," Conor said.

School Administrator Stephenie Haynes said parents saw the artworkof students in kindergarten through fifth grade during the openhouse.

"We showed the parents what they've learned," Haynes said.

The students have art class once a week and create art usingeverything from balloons to plastic cups. D'Alessio also takesstudents outside to create sidewalk art. They also work in paintingand crafting.

D'Alessio said students don't necessarily need to be talentedartists to get the most out of art class. Just being creative is thekey.

"Creativity is the most important thing," D'Alessio said.