Mr. Colby: Fremont Elementary
Sixty-one 3rd grade students and art teacher, Michelle Senters, of Fremont Elementary School are proud to present Mr. Colby for the 140th Anniversary of Seven Falls. Mr. Colby is named after Nathaniel Colby, the first man to homestead and own a patent to Seven Falls. Patchwork quilts have long been used throughout history as a way to commemorate, remember, and celebrate. Our chipmunk wears a quilted hoodie which contains patchwork squares to symbolize all that is beautiful and important to Seven Falls. In the planning phase, 3rd grade students designed quilt squares on a 10×10 grid, using photographs and traditional quilt squares as reference tools. Similar designs were then combined to create the strongest representation and a cohesive look to the quilted hoodie. Quilt square designs include: Mountain Lion, Mule Deer, Black Bear, Rainbow Trout, Chipmunk, Mountain Cottontail Rabbit, American Robin, Stellar’s Jay, Broad Tailed Hummingbird, Mountain Chickadee, Aspen Tree Leaf, Rocky Mountain Maple Leaf, Ponderosa Pinecone, White Fir Tree, Wood Lily, Black-Eyed Susan, Colorado Columbine, Colorado Flag, traditional Colorado state square, Pikes Peak, and two rock formations at Seven Falls. Each of the seven falls are symbolized in the waterfall quilt pattern that falls down Mr. Colby’s hood, belly, backside, and tail. Our chipmunk stands on Pikes Peak Granite, a rock composed of course grained pink and light red syenogranite with bits of gray monzogranite. A healthy relationship between humans, plants, animals, and the environment is vital to survival. We symbolized this ecology through the “stitching” shown on the quilted hoodie. Each 3rd grade student had the opportunity to design and paint Mr. Colby, and he has become quite famous within Fremont Elementary School.