Lila Bringhurst Elementary School, a proud member of the Fremont Unified School District, celebrated its grand opening in 2022. Over the past two years, teachers Brett Walsh of Thornton Middle School and Kristine Tsung of Bringhurst Elementary School spearheaded a remarkable project to commemorate this milestone—The Legacy Mural: Where Innovation Begins.
This project began in Bringhurst’s first year with 5th grade students from the school’s Mandarin Immersion Program, who painstakingly stamped over 1,000 tiles by hand. Brett Walsh then brought these tiles back to Bringhurst, where students from transitional Kindergarten through 6th Grade worked together to paint them. The project was further enriched by the expertise of ceramics teacher Jacob Rodenkirk of Washington High School, who meticulously fired each tile in the kiln.
The mural’s centerpiece, designed by Kristine Tsung using Photoshop, features drawings of Fremont’s landmarks created by 5th and 6th graders at the time of the school’s grand opening.
This monumental project would not have been possible without the support of the community. Special thanks go to Alex Cordrey, a contractor and parent of one of the students, who played a key role in the project, and to Johanna White, the founding principal of Bringhurst. We are also grateful to CalRTA for the grant that made this community-wide project possible, as well as the Bringhurst Parent Teacher Organization, which paused other campus projects to focus on this 8-foot by 16-foot Legacy Mural. Additionally, the Chinese Immersion Parents’ Council of Fremont provided invaluable support, making this truly a community effort.
The evening of August 16th, the school held an unveiling event to capture this moment. The Legacy Mural stands as a symbol of creativity, collaboration, and community spirit, commemorating the grand opening of Lila Bringhurst Elementary School and inspiring future generations.
