A former Gunnedah sculptor has helped inspire the spirit of learning in Armidale.
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The power of a teacher to ignite a spark in a student was celebrated in perpetuity in bronze at an event that brought hundreds of former students from as far as the United States back to The Armidale School on Saturday.
Mike Hoskins travelled with his family from Texas to unveil a sculpture he commissioned to celebrate the spirit of learning.
Called The Spark and sculpted by Tanya Bartlett, formerly of Gunnedah, the work depicts the ‘light bulb’ moment a teacher engages a student in a significantly meaningful way, and was inspired by his own time at TAS.
“We invest in our teachers an almost sacred trust, to discover and light in succeeding generations that magic spark of learning and personal growth that resides in each child, then feed and nurture the resulting flame via the ongoing school experience,” Mr Hoskins said.
“Tanya has caught in bronze an extraordinary, precious moment in time and the result is a triumph.”
The unveiling was followed by a concert which paid tribute to former TAS teacher Jim Graham, who passed away in July.
“This magnificent gift to the school is a powerful statement not just about the magic of a teacher igniting something special in a student, but the role of the creative arts in the life of TAS, as epitomised by the performances in the tribute concert,” headmaster Murray Guest said.
“I have no doubt that its message will inspire generations of TAS students to come.”
