Periodic quilt project stirs a reaction

Marisa Headley

Certain visions come to mind when hearing the word ‘quilt.’ Maybe thoughts arise of grandma or craft fairs, but probably not of a periodic table. However, this idea did cross chemistry teacher Mrs. Kathi Smith’s mind after seeing a periodic quilt made for a retiring chemist on her Listserv.

Smith’s chemistry students made a quilt square, website, and creative component (story, poem, skit, or video) for an assigned element. The quilt squares were decorated with glitter, cloth, string, etc.

“I had Helium and Potassium. I used a felt balloon for helium and a felt banana for potassium,” said sophomore Corrie Mettenbrink.

The squares were sewn together by the students, and then Smith did the backing as a tie quilt. “I was surprised with how many girls didn’t know how to sew,” she said.

The squares were due Oct. 15 in order to have the quilt done for National Chemistry Week, which usually is the first week in November. However, quilt ended up being little late because National Chemistry Week was moved a couple weeks earlier to correspond with Mole Day on Oct. 23.

For nonscientific readers, Mole Day is nothing like Groundhog Day. A mole is a unit of atoms.

After completing the quilt, the students decided to raffle it off for a smart board. A smart board is a touch-sensitive whiteboard, which costs $1,200. Realizing this is a distant goal, students later decided to aim for a $29 clock with elements in place of numbers.

The raffle tickets were sold for 50 cents in the Quad the week of Oct. 27. The chemistry class made $28 after paying for materials. “So, we will be getting the element clock,” Smith said.

The quilt raffle took place on Oct. 31 during first lunch. Administrative secretary, Mrs. Ruth Singleton purchased 40 tickets and “went to lunch during the raffle because I didn’t imagine that I would win.”

When she found out she had won, she “was floored. I didn’t even dream I would win.”

Singleton planned to give the quilt to her husband, a civil engineer, for Christmas, but she was too excited to wait so she gave it to him for Halloween.

Later, Singleton decided to give the quilt back to Marian because “it is better to be shared by 700 rather than two. We can visit it when we want,” she said.

The quilt is allowed to travel through classrooms, but cannot leave Marian. Currently, it hangs in Mr. Howard Gilman’s classroom with the help of safety pins, rubber bands and paper clips. Singleton and Smith hung it up for him during the freshman retreat.

“I was surprised,” said Gilman of getting the quilt in his room for the year.

Singleton made the Marian favorite ‘puppy chow’ as a thank you to students for all their hard work and students made her a large thank you card.

“I thought it was so nice that she bought so many tickets, gave the quilt back and then made us puppy chow,” said Mettenbrink.

Smith has decided the periodic quilt will become another Marian tradition as an annual project for students. “We’ll make it more cuddly next year,” Smith added. “We know what to change for next year, it will be easier.”

The hard work of students and Mrs. Smith is admired and the Marian community will have more quilts to look forward to.