Biodiversity Bonanza at Kilgraston School

As Scottish environmentalist John Muir famously said: ‘When one tugs at a single thing in nature, he finds it attached to the rest of the world.’

Pupils at Kilgraston School, Perthshire, have created a 40m long frieze to demonstrate nature’s ongoing interdependence and abundance of biodiversity. 

Understanding the plight of the planet can, at times, seem overwhelming. Therefore, to help take one step at a time, a fun, creative and informative lesson was learnt by everyone at Kilgraston as they helped create an all-school mural at the heart of the building. 

The School’s Glass Square lies right at the centre of the main building, a corridor ‘roundabout’, guiding pupils and staff in several directions. What better place to host a vast mural? Depicting personal interpretations of images from nature, it was designed to highlight the inter-dependency of the planet’s life forms.

 English teacher, Mrs Saunders, had the idea, asking every pupil and staff member to add their bit for the impressive installation. Her hope was to create something that would make David Attenborough proud, urging: ‘Let us fill the space by painting paradise with a biodiversity bonanza.’

Covid restrictions limited numbers that could congregate at one time, however, a strict booking scheme ensured Junior, Senior, Sixth Form and all boarders had their chance with a brush. ‘It’s very therapeutic,’ commented U6s Anna, ‘it makes you stop and think and really visualise how everything in the natural world is connected.’

The mural will be continually updated and, hopefully, available for visitors to see and enjoy in the not-too-distant future. 

READ MORE:

Kilgraston’s Listing | The Value of Outdoor Learning