STARS instructor Brandon Johnson, from right, and students Barrett Cox, Emory Bukkila and Hayden Johnson stand by one of frames they installed at the Mound City Library. (Photos by Cheyenne Kern, STARS)
By Roger Sims, rsims@linncountyjournal.com
MOUND CITY – Three classes of the Southeast Technical Academy for Rural Students (STARS) program pitched in together to add to the number of musical installations on the grounds of the Mound City Library earlier this month.
Brittany Simpson, director of the Mary Sommerfield Library, said that the idea for the new installations, which include structures with cymbals, cowbells, and pipes with different tones, began with a suggestion by one of the library’s board members.
The area east of the library already had three commercially built musical installations that are similar to those found at the La Cygne Library. Those installations have a finish of weather-resistant epoxy paint.
This wood and metal installation included triangles, xylophone bars, cowbells and cymbals, including one from a STARS student's drum kit, according to Library Director Brittany Simpson.
Simpson said she found an example of a different kind of installation, and students from the building construction and welding classes took the lead in designing the pieces using wooden frames. Students from the small equipment operating class also participated in the project by providing excavating and installing concrete bases.
One of the installations has pipes that are painted with the school colors and logos of the school districts that send students to the STARS programs, which include Jayhawk, Pleasanton, Prairie View, Louisburg, Uniontown, and Fort Scott.
Simpson said the total installation is not yet complete, however, during a library event on Monday, Dec. 16, many visitors took the opportunity to “play” the installations.
“We’re so glad that it all worked out,” Simpson said about working with the STARS students and instructors. “They were great to work with.”
The STARS program has used students to build several community service projects since it began more than three years ago. Other projects include bus stop shelters for students from lake developments and more recently dog kennels and runs for the city of Pleasanton.
The pipes on an installation include the numbers of unified school districts that send students to the STARS program.
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