After serving as a crisis counselor at the grammar schools following the Sept. 11 attacks, Kristen Hart realized that students wanted to express their grief. As the nation banded together under the umbrella of patriotism, Hart thought of a way to unite Jersey City’s youth and express the common sentiment she was hearing.
"Students wanted to share, but it’s kind of hard to know what to talk about," Hart said. "I think the best outlet for students is to create."
Hart, who works for the school district’s Zero Tolerance program, sent a memo to Superintendent Dr. Charles T. Epps on Sept. 19 that described a collective effort of the entire Jersey City student body to create a quilt expressing people’s feelings on the national tragedy. Epps immediately supported the project and it has been in the works ever since.
Each grade from every school contributed a part of the quilt by designing individual square pieces. "This is a way to get everyone represented," Hart said last week. The quilt has a running theme as is signified in its title, "Our Healing Quilt: Physical, Spiritual and Emotional."
According to Hart, each grade had its own method of creating the patch that would be represent it on the quilt. Some grades held contests while others relied on the expertise of teachers in quilting clubs. Aside from sticking to the theme, the only criteria was using a black cotton duck backing.
Out of the 300 pieces that will form the finished product, a variety of different designs, ideas and materials are represented. Classes used felt, buttons, paint, crayons and a host of other artistic supplies to create an eclectic piece of art. The Visual and Performing Arts program created the quilt’s centerpiece, depicting a somber man’s face amidst the destruction of the Twin Towers. Even nursery school children in the Early Childhood program chipped in, providing the corner pieces to the quilt.
"It just shows there are so many kids thinking so many different things," Hart said as she looked at the different parts of the quilt. "There’s the same theme, but it’s not the same exact thing over and over again."
The completed pieces of the quilt arrived at the Adult Education Center, where nine faculty members volunteered to sew all the pieces together in their spare time. In addition, they had to repair several pieces had been damaged in the process.
"None of us had ever done quilting," said Karen Kelesoglou, who has been working three hours a day sowing the patches together. "We all asked each other’s opinions, saw what we had to work with and came up with the game plan." The 300 pieces were split amongst the nine teachers and they began the final phase of the project.
When the last threads are sown, the quilt will stretch 12 feet across and six feet high. Hart expects the quilt to be finished by the Board of Education meeting in December. After being showcased at the meeting, the quilt will tour each school for a few days and find a permanent home at the Board of Education building.
Within the images of broken hearts, American flags, and the World Trade Center, Hart believes there is a cathartic process. "The whole city worked very hard on it," Hart said, "but it was a labor of love."
"I think because the kids were able to take part in it, it gave them a sense of calm," Kelesoglou said.