The Form of 2002 Plaque

The bottom of the 2002 plaque shows the World Trade Center towers, depicting the memory of New York City skyline before it was forever changed by the 9/11 terrorist attack. Two New Hampshire songbirds perch on either side in the center, representing SPS’s donation of land to the neighboring Audubon Society for use as a bird sanctuary. The upper left features the Stanley Cup, commemorating the visit to SPS of this famous trophy. The upper right shows the Lower School Boathouse and dock, which was torn down that year.

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2002 Plaque Progress: Carving Completed

The carving is completed for the 2002 form plaque. The photos below show details of the completed carving with descriptions of the events illustrated.

Upper Left: The Stanley Cup representing the visit it made to SPS in November of 2001.

 

Upper Right: Lower School Boathouse and dock which was torn down that year.

 

Lower Left: One of two NH songbirds (Nuthatch) on either side of the design representing the donation of SPS land to the Audubon Society for use as a bird sanctuary. Below the bird is the left half of the Manhattan skyline with the World Trade Center towers intact, to commemorate the September 11th terrorist attack.

 

Lower Right: One of two NH songbirds (Chickadee) on either side of the design representing the donation of SPS land to the Audubon Society for use as a bird sanctuary. Below the bird is the right half of the Manhattan skyline with the World Trade Center towers intact, to commemorate the September 11th terrorist attack.

This plaque will receive a painted finish, and when completed, will be on display in the Middle Dining Hall in Coit (New Upper) for Anniversary 2016/17 next June.

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2002 Plaque Progress: Design Completed

The design stage is complete for the 2002 form plaque. I worked with members of the Form of 2002 to come up with a list of events, and the following was chosen by them to represent their 6th Form experiences at SPS:

• Upper Left: The Stanley Cup representing the visit it made to SPS in November of 2001
• Upper Right: Lower School Boathouse and dock which was torn down that year
• Center Left and Right: Two NH songbirds on either side of the design representing the donation of SPS land to the Audubon Society for use as a bird sanctuary
• Bottom Left and Right: The Manhattan skyline with the World Trade Center towers intact, to commemorate the September 11th terrorist attack

When I begin working on the carving of the 2002 plaque I will be posting photos of the carving process here on the blog and on the Form Plaque Project Facebook page.

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The Form of 2012 Plaque

Here is a photograph of the completed plaque for the Form of 2012. It was dedicated on June 1, 2013 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 2012. Below the photo is the description of the elements incorporated in the plaque design.

The upper left corner of the plaque features an open book with the initials MGH carved onto the pages, representing the beginning of the Rectorship of Michael Gifford Hirschfeld, Thirteenth Rector of St. Paul’s School. The book symbolizes the Rural Record, a journal of day-to-day life that was kept at St. Paul’s School from 1857 into the early 20th century. The upper right corner shows the symbol for the Delphians – the Greek letter Delta surrounded by a laurel wreath – winners of the Club Cup competition for the School year. The upper center of the plaque has the World Trade Center towers and in the middle left section the date 9/11/11is carved – marking the tenth anniversary of the September 11th terrorist attack. A snowman holding a Jack-o-lantern is carved in the lower right corner of the plaque, representing the big snowstorm on Halloween – the only significant snowstorm of the winter season. To the left of the snowman is the newly constructed Lindsay Center for Mathematics and Science, dedicated on November 29, 2011.

2012 Form Plaque Progress: Carving Complete

The carving process for the 2012 Form plaque is complete.  Below are some photographs of the carving process, with details of the finished carving as well.

This first photograph shows the design layout on the plaque blank, with outlines in place as guides for roughing out the background.

This shows the plaque after being roughed out with a small format router.  This sets an even depth for the background of the plaque. From this point forward all the carving is done using hand tools.

A big jump to the finished carving – after many, many hours of work the fine details are all in place.  I first carve the rough shapes for the entire design and then refine each element to its finished state.

This detail shows the book with Mr. Hirschfeld’s initials – marking the beginning of his Rectorship.  The World Trade Center towers are on the right of the photograph with the 10th anniversary date of the 9/11 terrorist attack.

This detail shows the Delphian symbol – winners of the Club Cup for the 2011/2012 School year.

The Lindsay Center for Mathematics and Science is shown in this detail.

The snowman and Jack-O-lantern representing the Halloween storm that blanketed Millville in deep snow.

The next stage in the process involves sealing the plaque with oil and then painting it and adding the protective finish.  The next time you will be able to see the plaque will be Anniversary weekend at the beginning of June of 2013.  I’m looking forward to finishing the plaque and sharing it with all the members of the Form of 2012!

2012 Form Plaque Progress: Design Complete

The design stage is complete for the 2012 Form plaque. I worked with members of the Form of 2012 during the previous School year to come up with a list of events, and the following was chosen by them to represent the 6th Form experiences of the Form of 2012:

• Upper left:  An open book with the initials MGH. The book symbol represents the Rural Record, a diary of day-to-day School life that was kept from 1857 into the early twentieth century.  Michael Hirschfeld’s initials are incorporated on the pages of the  open book, symbolizing the beginning of his Rectorship and representing the recording of the event of the change in leadership into School history.
• Upper right: The symbol for the Delphians – the Greek letter Delta surrounded by a laurel wreath – winners of the Club Cup competition.
• Upper center and middle left: The World Trade Center towers and the date 9/11/11 – marking the tenth anniversary of the September 11th terrorist attack.
• Lower right: A snowman holding a Jack-o-lantern representing the big snowstorm on Halloween – the only significant snowstorm of the winter season.
• Lower left and center:  The Lindsay Center for Mathematics and Science, dedicated on November 29, 2011.

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!