Elementary Classroom Quilt Celebrates Individuality

We are all different, and we can be whoever we want to be.

That was a life lesson that one student in Michelle Belasco’s third-grade class at Matthew Paterson Elementary took away from a recent classroom activity in honor of Black History Month.

As part of the month’s celebration, the class read the book “The Patchwork Path: A Quilt Map to Freedom” by Bettye Stroud, a story of a young girl, Hannah, and her father who escape a life of slavery and make a journey to freedom using the Underground Railroad. Their guide: a patchwork quilt memento left with them by Hannah’s mother, which had stitched images that matched the secret signposts for stops on the Underground Railroad.

“We talked about how things that are passed on from our ancestors are things that we cherish,” Belasco said to her class. “So, we are going to make a classroom quilt.”

Students were able to choose a paper pattern square to decorate and then asked to write a story about their square and why they chose it. The only rule: pick the pattern that speaks to you.

Hailey Hess chose the pattern called log cabin, which consisted of interlocking rectangles. “There is a bunch of rectangles put together and it reminds me of my family all put together,” she said.

Logan Pelillo chose a star-shaped pattern because it connected to a family memory he cherished. “When we went camping, I was sitting down with my cousins and one of them thought he saw the Big Dipper,” he said.

Reinier Aloy, who chose the bear paw pattern, said, “I like bears, and I once had one in my backyard that I think had cubs.”

The wagon wheel pattern square and its intricate design was a favorite among several students.

Nyalise Pettiford chose the pattern for no specific reason. “It just spoke to me in some way,” she said.

Lily Bella Saavedra chose the pattern and alternated colors around it in rainbow order. “I think that rainbows can fit everywhere and when you turn the pattern it’s going to be hypnotizing,” she said.

The students' individual and unique pattern squares will be put together to create one cohesive quilt that tells a story of the classroom – and celebrates the diverse individuals that they each are.