Lee Erwin reporting
lerwin@clarksvillenow.com
CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. – Miss Tennessee USA, Brenna Mader, visited Norman Smith Elementary School Wednesday, September 11 as part of Clarksville’s Serve to Remember initiative. Mader read a book titled September Roses and then joined students to help paint ceramic “remembrance tiles” for the Clarksville Pillars of Hope project.
Close to 80 5th grade students from Norman Smith gathered to use their artistic creativity to paint ceramic tiles for the Pillars of Hope community art project. Rita Arancibia with the Volunteer Clarksville organization said future plans are for the tiles to be placed on a permanent structure in the community to honor the victims on the 9/11 terrorist attacks.
A number of other events where tiles have been painted have also taken place as part of Serve to Remember projects in the community. The students at Norman Smith Elementary School were asked to put their thoughts about 9/11 in the form of art on the tiles.
Miss Tennessee USA talked about her part in encouraging the students to create their tiles. “ I was here to kind of commemorate September 11 and teach them about the heroes of September 11 and the brave people who lost their lives keeping us safe and to try and open that conversation and educate them about that day,” said Mader.