The Form of 1991 Plaque

A ribbon with “O Ye Fire and Heat” wraps around the top edges of the plaque, referencing the inscription on the Powerhouse, revealed when the ivy was removed during building maintenance. To represent the Gulf War, the upper left features a shield with a map of Iraq, Kuwait, and Saudi Arabia. The upper right shows the symbol for woman with “XX” in the center to commemorate the 20th anniversary of coeducation at SPS. A Cypress tree in the top center represents the performance “Cypress Trees” – produced and directed by members of the Form of 1991 – that reflected the emotional journey of women of color at SPS. The center features the Rectors’ Ruler with Charles Halsey Clark’s initials. The ruler was used to illustrate a talk he gave to the Sixth Form. The bottom features Ohrstrom Library, dedicated with much celebration in April 1991.

1991 Plaque Progress: Plaque Completed

The Form of 1991 plaque is now completed.  The photograph above shows the completed plaque with the stained finish to match the existing frame.

The completed framed plaque will be presented on Anniversary Weekend on Saturday June 4th.  Thank you to the representatives from the Form of 1991 for their help with this project – make sure to stop by the Upper to see your plaque if you are visiting that weekend!

1991 Plaque Progress: Carving Completed

The carving stage is completed for the Form of 1991 plaque. Below are some photos of the plaque, carved to illustrate the following events:

• Top Outer Edge: A ribbon bearing the inscription “O Ye Fire and Heat” from the Powerhouse – this inscription was revealed when the ivy was removed during building maintenance that year
• Upper Left: A shield with a map of Iraq, Kuwait, and Saudi Arabia representing the Gulf War
• Upper Right: A women’s symbol with “XX” in the center to commemorate the 20^th anniversary of coeducation at SPS
• Upper Center: A bald cypress tree representing the program called “Cypress Trees” of poetry, music, and drama reflecting the emotional journey of women of color at St. Paul’s – produced and directed by members of the Form of 1991
• Center Horizontal:  The Rector’s ruler with the initials of the Reverend Dr. Charles Halsey Clark, Ninth Rector of SPS, celebrating a talk he gave to members of the 6^th Form in which he used the ruler to illustrate his message
• Bottom Left and Right:  Ohrstrom Library, which was dedicated in April of 1991

Now that the carving is completed, I will stain the wood to match the woodwork in the Lower Dining Hall, where it will hang when it is done. The finished plaque will be on display for Anniversary Weekend, June 3rd & 4th, 2016.

1991 Plaque Progress: Design Completed

The design stage is complete for the 1991 form plaque. I worked with members of the Form of 1991 to come up with a list of events, and the following was chosen by them to represent their 6th Form experiences at SPS:

• Top Outer Edge: A ribbon bearing the inscription “O Ye Fire and Heat” from the Powerhouse – this inscription was revealed when the ivy was removed during building maintenance that year
• Upper Left: A shield with a map of Iraq, Kuwait, and Saudi Arabia representing the Gulf War
• Upper Right: A women’s symbol with “XX” in the center to commemorate the 20^th anniversary of coeducation at SPS
• Upper Center: A bald cypress tree representing the program called “Cypress Trees” of poetry, music, and drama reflecting the emotional journey of women of color at SPS – produced and directed by members of the Form of 1991
• Center Horizontal:  The Rector’s ruler with the initials of the Reverend Dr. Charles Halsey Clark, Ninth Rector of SPS, celebrating a talk he gave to members of the 6^th Form in which he used the ruler to illustrate his message
• Bottom Left and Right:  Ohrstrom Library, which was dedicated in April of 1991

I will now start work on the carving of the 1991 plaque and will be posting photos of the carving process as it progresses – stay tuned for more information!

The Form of 1999 Plaque

Below is a photograph of the completed plaque for the Form of 1999. The plaque is being dedicated on May 31, 2014 and hangs in the Middle Dining Hall of Coit (The Upper) above the panels that contain the names of all the members of the Form of 1999. Below the photo is the description of the elements incorporated in the plaque design.

The central element of the Form of 1999 plaque represents the changes in St. Paul’s School leadership during the form’s four years, with a book for each of the leaders. Labels on the spines identify them: “X” for the Tenth Rector David Verne Hicks, “I” for Interim Rector Clifford J. Gillespie, and “XI” for Eleventh Rector Craig B. Anderson. The bookends with their inkwells and quills commemorate the beginning of the Schlesinger Writer-in-Residence program. The upper left corner features a volleyball/arrow/women’s symbol, representing the New England division title wins for the girls’ volleyball and cross country teams. The “G” on the computer key in the upper right refers to the incorporation of Google in 1998. The bottom left corner represents the fire in the Drury dorm in March 1999. At the lower right, a rainbow flag with the letters “GSA” marks the founding of the Gay Straight Alliance, inspired by the Chapel speech of Dustin Brauneck ’99.

1999 Plaque Progress: Plaque Completed

The Form of 1999 plaque is now completed.  The above photograph shows a sample of the painted finish on the plaque – representing the fire in the Drury dorm in March of 1999.

The completed framed plaque will be revealed on Anniversary Weekend on Saturday May 31st – at which time photographs of the finished plaque will be published online.  Thank you to the representative from the Form of 1999 for your help with this project –  I am looking forward to seeing members of the Form of 1999 at the SPS Anniversary event to celebrate your new Form plaque!

1999 Plaque Progress: Carving Completed

The carving for the 1999 Form plaque is completed.  The photos below are of the finished carving, with descriptions of the symbols used in the design.

The upper left corner features a volleyball and arrow combined into a women’s symbol – representing the New England division title wins for both the girls’ volleyball and girls’ cross country.

The upper right corner features the letter “G” on a computer keyboard key – representing the launch of the Google search engine on 9/4/1998.

The central design element is of three books supported between bookends – one book representing each change of School leadership during the four years of the Form of 1999:

• “X” on the spine for the Tenth Rector David Verne Hicks
• “I” on the spine for Interim Rector Clifford J. Gillespie
• “XI” on the spine for Eleventh Rector Craig B. Anderson

The bookends supporting the books feature inkwells with quills – commemorating the beginning of the Schlesinger Writer-in-Residence program at SPS.

The bottom left corner represents the fire that occurred in the Drury dorm.

The bottom right corner features a rainbow flag with the letters “GSA” celebrating the founding of the Gay Straight Alliance.

Now that the carving stage is completed the plaque will be oiled and painted before being put on display for Anniversary/Graduation weekend at the end of May.

1999 Plaque Progress: Design Completed

The design stage is complete for the 1999 Form plaque. I worked with members of the Form of 1999 to come up with a list of events, and the following was chosen to be featured on the plaque:

• Upper left: A volleyball and arrow combined into a women’s symbol – representing the New England division title wins for both the girls’ volleyball and girls’ cross country
• Upper right: The letter “G” on a computer keyboard key – representing the launch of the Google search engine on 9/4/1998
• Center:  Three books supported between bookends – one for each of the leadership changes during the four years of the Form of 1999:
  • “X” on the spine for the Tenth Rector David Verne Hicks
  • “I” on the spine for Interim Rector Clifford J. Gillespie
  • “XI” on the spine for Eleventh Rector Craig B. Anderson
  • The bookends feature inkwells with quills – commemorating the beginning of the Schlesinger Writer-in-Residence program at SPS
• Bottom left: Represents the fire that occurred in the Drury dorm
• Bottom right: A curious bear – representing the numerous sightings of bears on the grounds that year

I will now begin working on the carving process, with the plan to have the finished plaque to present at Anniversary weekend in June this year. Photos of the process will be posted on the blog, so stay tuned for more information!