John Kelly's write up in the washington post about a beautiful art deco metal tank donated by william randloph hearst to a school in the DC area.
Things Are Going Swimmingly for a Historic Fish Tank
The saga of Miss Dawkins's fish tank should come to a happy conclusion at 10 a.m. today. That's when the newly renovated art deco aquarium at Phoebe Hearst Elementary in Northwest Washington will be dedicated.
Make that newly re-renovated.
I first wrote about the stunning 77-year-old copper and bronze aquarium nearly three years ago when pre-K teacher Denise Dawkins lamented that the once-grand fish tank -- a gift from press baron William Randolph Hearst in honor of his mother -- was looking rather shabby. Offers of help poured in, including a sizable donation from Samia Staehle, the great-great- granddaughter of the school's namesake, and Samia's husband, Daryl.
Unfortunately, when water was poured in -- after a year of refurbishment -- the darn thing leaked. This is the one thing you don't want an aquarium to do. It ruins your floor and upsets the fish.
"After the first attempt, we all felt a little dejected," Miss Dawkins said.
I am happy to report that after another year -- during which all the glass in the 160-gallon tank was replaced -- the aquarium is watertight. When I visited the classroom earlier this week, it was all I could do not to dive in and take a swim, so inviting did it look.
Miss Dawkins's classroom has become a piscine wonderland. On Tuesday, Principal Bernarda Tally read a fish-centric story, then teaching assistant Christina Hill led the students in a fish-themed song of her own composition. Painted fish sculptures hung from a string above the tank.
To read the rest go here:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/03/11/AR2009031103836.html?sub=AR
Things Are Going Swimmingly for a Historic Fish Tank
The saga of Miss Dawkins's fish tank should come to a happy conclusion at 10 a.m. today. That's when the newly renovated art deco aquarium at Phoebe Hearst Elementary in Northwest Washington will be dedicated.
Make that newly re-renovated.
I first wrote about the stunning 77-year-old copper and bronze aquarium nearly three years ago when pre-K teacher Denise Dawkins lamented that the once-grand fish tank -- a gift from press baron William Randolph Hearst in honor of his mother -- was looking rather shabby. Offers of help poured in, including a sizable donation from Samia Staehle, the great-great- granddaughter of the school's namesake, and Samia's husband, Daryl.
Unfortunately, when water was poured in -- after a year of refurbishment -- the darn thing leaked. This is the one thing you don't want an aquarium to do. It ruins your floor and upsets the fish.
"After the first attempt, we all felt a little dejected," Miss Dawkins said.
I am happy to report that after another year -- during which all the glass in the 160-gallon tank was replaced -- the aquarium is watertight. When I visited the classroom earlier this week, it was all I could do not to dive in and take a swim, so inviting did it look.
Miss Dawkins's classroom has become a piscine wonderland. On Tuesday, Principal Bernarda Tally read a fish-centric story, then teaching assistant Christina Hill led the students in a fish-themed song of her own composition. Painted fish sculptures hung from a string above the tank.
To read the rest go here:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/03/11/AR2009031103836.html?sub=AR
