Shorewood students tackle world record for largest umbrella mosaic
May 21, 2012, 6:32 PM | Updated: 7:48 pm
Local students want to help build a school in rural Kenya, and they just might break a world record while they’re at it.
To build the school, the Schools for Kenya club at Shorewood High School has been raising money for Free the Children, an organization that let’s children help children.
They’ve raised $6,000 so far, but need $8,500 total to finish the project. But, they’re tackling this fundraiser by trying to set a new world record for the largest umbrella mosaic.
On the field at Shoreline Stadium on June 1, at 4:30 p.m. approximately 2,400 umbrellas will be raised to form the shape of an elephant holding an umbrella, or, an “umbrellaphant.”
“Everyone really embraced [the idea,]” said Bethany Smith, President of the Schools for Kenya club. “From there, it just kind of snowballed and turned into this big “umbrellaphant” event.”
Smith said that the students at Shorewood High School won’t be able to break the record and create the “umbrellaphant” on their own. They’re asking anyone with $5 and an umbrella to join them on June 1, get in the “umbrellaphant” formation for just 10 minutes, and help them break the world record for the largest living mosaic.
The record is currently held by 2,115 participants at Bradman Oval Bowral, in New South Wales, Australia who created an umbrella mosaic depicting Mary Poppins holding her umbrella.
