Diocese of Lafayette
Muncie students craft Nativity sets
for annual fall festival fundraiser
By Louisa J. Reese (The Catholic Moment)
MUNCIE—This fall, St. Lawrence School children have Christmas on their minds. Visions of angels, shepherds and Baby Jesus dance in their heads.
In art class, their little hands are busy rolling, stretching and shaping clay into Nativity figures that will be auctioned at the annual Fall Festival on Oct. 5-6.
Art teacher Liz Guntle is enthusiastic about the project. It is an ideal way for the students to learn more about their religion and develop new art skills, she said.
The project was made possible by a donation from Derik Ruttan, the grandfather of third-grader Caleb Hancock. Ruttan, with help from Caleb, also made wooden stables for the nine Nativity sets created by the preschool through eighth-grade classes.
Before they began sculpting, they talked about the main figures—who they were and their role in Jesus’ birth.
“They all wanted to make Jesus or an angel,” Guntle said. “The next most popular figures were the kings [because] they got to bring presents to Jesus.” The Blessed Virgin Mary was the first choice of several girls.
The children crafted the 6-inch-tall figures out of a firm polymer clay that holds fine detail and comes in many colors. When baked, it is glossy and very durable. To ensure consistent sizes, Guntle precut the clay for the students to shape and decorate.
Their favorite tool was the pasta machine to roll material flat, she said.
“They got really interested in wrapping color, stretching it out in this machine and winding it around their figure.”
They also used flower-patterned beads for decorating.
“Some of the children were so taken with the color and pattern of the multifiori [that] they applied the beads everywhere,” she said.
Kindergartner Katie Hunter said she was glad that she got to make Baby Jesus.
“It was really fun to make him,” she said, “because it’s really ‘consecrated.’ ”
Seventh-grader Angelika Norris crafted an angel in the middle-school art class.
“I learned how the angel guided the shepherds to Jesus’ birthplace. ... I think I understand the Nativity a whole lot more than I did last year,” she said.
The Nativity sets will be up for bid during the class auction on Oct. 5 and at the fall festival, the major fundraiser for the school and parish.
(The public is invited to attend the festival from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. on Oct. 5 and from 3 p.m. to 11 p.m. on Oct. 6 at St. Lawrence School in Muncie. For more information, call the school at 765-282-9353.)
(Go to the website of The Catholic Moment) †