Faces you can trust at Land O' Lakes PS

Oct 01, 2014

Grade 7 and 8 students at Land O' Lakes Public School had a chance to break the ice while also learning how to trust one another during their first few weeks back at school.

In a special art project, students made plaster casts of their faces, which involved putting themselves into a vulnerable position. The students chose groups and each student in the group had the others make a negative mold of their face. This meant that each participant had to lie down and breathe out of straws while their peers covered their faces with plaster bandages. Once the molds were dried each student then made a positive cast from the original negative molds. The end result is 26 white plaster faces that now hang in the school’s main pod area and will be on display until Christmas.

Their teacher, Mr. Hull, said that the project, which is part of the casting curriculum for the students, is also a great trust exercise. “It's a great opportunity for the students to learn about the positive and negative elements of casting, the chemical reactions that take place, concepts of volume, as well as learning to trust the partners in their group.”

In addition to the mold making, students were asked to write biographies of themselves, which hang under their nameless faces. For many, the project was their first encounter with mold making, and it was also enjoyable for them because they had a chance to bond with their fellow students.

Hull said it was the first time he did this particular mold making project with students and he felt it was a huge success. “I am always amazed at how well the students respond to these hands-on cooperative, creative projects. Not only did they do all of the work themselves but they also did a great job.” Hull said the project works particularly well with older students who have the maturity to deal with being able to stay still for an extended length of time while breathing through straws.

Grade 8 student Leah-Anne said she “enjoyed the project and though having the plaster bandages on your face at first was a bit weird and at first scary, it was fun and interesting.” Grade 7 student Mariah said she also enjoyed the project and said it was her first time making a plaster face mask.

The project is attracting the attention of other students in the school, who often try to guess which face belongs to whom.