Shorewood students create umbrella mosaic, go for world record
Jun 1, 2012, 12:32 PM | Updated: 5:54 pm
The attempt to create the largest umbrella mosaic doubled as a fundraiser to help build a school in rural Kenya. (97.3 KIRO FM Photo/Kimi Kline)
(97.3 KIRO FM Photo/Kimi Kline)
On Friday at 4:30 p.m., high school students, with the help of their community, attempted to break a world record.
The attempt to create the largest umbrella mosaic doubled as a fundraiser to help build a school in rural Kenya.
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. The club needs $8,500 total to finish the project. On Friday, they received $3,000 – enough to reach their goal and build the school.
On the field at Shoreline Stadium on June 1, at 4:30 p.m. approximately 2,400 umbrellas were 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.”
The students asked anyone with $5 and an umbrella to join them on Friday, get in the “umbrellaphant” formation for just 10 minutes, and help them break the world record for the largest living mosaic.
They will find out if they broke the record in a few weeks.
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.
