Manorfield Primary and Nursery Schools Elephant for Elephant Day

I’ve been meaning to write about my day at Manorfield Primary and Nursery School since my day at Manorfield Primary and Nursery School but each time I’ve gone to start, something has stopped me. I was worried, I suppose, that I would fail to make it clear quite what a spectacular experience it was. That I would try and summarise what it meant, both for me and the project, and that I would miss on both counts. In the last few days I have started the mammoth task of uploading the artwork to our site, working my way through each drawing and painting and mask, and I am filled again with all the things I felt that day. Overwhelmed again. Humbled again. Happy again.

Every person involved, every student, teacher, teaching assistant, visiting artist, embraced Elephant for Elephant as though it had long been a cause they were familiar with. They jumped in with both feet, organising workshops and dances.

 

 

Skye Clarke, the glorious teacher in charge of the whole day, had allocated an art genre to each classroom, divvying up the children for morning and afternoon sessions (they switched at lunchtime so that each child had the opportunity to experience two of the workshops). The children (who took to calling me ‘Mr Thom’) were enthusiastic and kind. They came ready to learn about the Elephants, asked and answered questions about the project. They were funny and well behaved, polite and welcoming. One pupil, a year one girl with plaits in her hair, called me over during the morning drawing and painting session and excitedly told me, with a light in her eyes as bright as a thousand stars, “Now I know how to draw an Elephant I can do it at home.” 

 

 

Mid-way through the day we all met for assembly to watch the group who had spent the morning choreographing a dance, perform the finished piece. They created a dance, people. I just want to push the point in order to make it clear how brilliant that is; a whole dance about Elephants and poachers for Elephant for Elephant, our tiny project that has already grown bigger than we ever could have imagined. And it was amazing. I mean, completely amazing. They had done so much in such a small amount of time, had worked so hard to make this thing, this moving, undulating piece of art. It was mesmerising and touching and the room filled with applause as loud as cracking thunder. I think I even cheered a little. In fact I’m certain that I whooped at least once or twice – what’s a boy to do really?!

By the end of the afternoon session the school was filled with art work. Every classroom had piles of masks and clay sculptures and mosaics and collages. One room even had a life sized Elephant made entirely from cardboard boxes, plastic bottles and insulating tubes. Hundreds of Elephants adorned the walls and tables and I was left flabbergasted at the effort that Manorfield Primary and Nursery School had made.

Our aim at Elephant for Elephant has always been to raise awareness of the plight of the Elephant. To shine a light on the struggle that they as a species are facing to merely survive unharmed in the wild. And our day at Manorfield achieved exactly what we had hoped. We were given the opportunity to educate the children (and the staff) and we were able to do just that.

What we perhaps didn’t prepare ourselves for, was the way the project would fill us up; the way it has reminded us that the world truly is filled with exceptional people who want only to do wonderful, positive things. There are people that pour their energy into creating the change they want to see, who spend their time doing good. We knew this before of course but it’s so easy to forget; this project and the reaction we have had from all of you has been medicine. Truly, it has.

At Manorfield Primary and Nursery School I was lucky enough to be introduced to a lot of those kind, excellent people and to spend time in their world for a little while. They work hard, and they imbue that hard work with an enthusiasm that is both intoxicating and catching. The children embraced me and Elephant for Elephant wholeheartedly, and created artworks that were inspired and magnificent, and that I cannot wait to share with you.

Our hope is that their hard work has inspired other schools to get involved, and that Elephant for Elephants word will continue to spread around the world.

Thank you Manorfield Primary and Nursery School. Thank you for all that you did to move our project forward. Words cannot express what your involvement has meant; there simply aren’t enough of them.