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by Maria LaRose
Hometown Weekly Contributor
The Memorial School in Medfield has a bright and cheerful new addition adorning a wall in the entryway of the school. A beautiful hand painted mural was unveiled at a private ceremony last Tuesday attended by past and present Memorial School staffers, as well as close family and friends.
The mural was painted in honor of Andrea Trasher, a beloved teacher and principal of the Memorial School, who lost her courageous battle with breast cancer two years ago. On Thursday of last week, a public Open House was held at the school in order to share this special mural with the community and with all of those who knew and loved “Mrs. Trasher.” Andrea spent over 20 years as a teacher and administrator at Memorial School (K-1). In 2007, she was named principal, and shortly after starting that new position, she was diagnosed with breast cancer. She continued to remain dedicated to her work as she fought to conquer her illness.
Andrea Trasher was a driven educator and an important part of the Memorial School for many years. In order to keep her spirit and memory alive, Kathy Raviski (a fellow Memorial School teacher) led a committee of Andrea’s close friends and co-workers, along with Andrea’s husband Dave, to develop a “remembrance project.” The goal was to come up with something that would depict her love and kindness for the world, and to symbolize the beautiful person she was.
“Andrea was so loved by all… she was just phenomenal,” said Kate Tormey, Andrea’s close friend and mural committee member. “When you were in her presence, she brought grace and kindness to you. After being with her, she always left you with a sense of calm and contagious love.”
After brainstorming many ideas, the committee ended up deciding to create a mural that would attempt to sum up the many words and images that came to mind when thinking of Andrea.
Joe Knaus, a Memorial School Kindergarten teacher/artist and friend of Andrea’s, was asked to put together a sketch of the mural based on the committee’s brainstorming ideas. According to Kathy Ravinski, “Joe nailed it.” A group of National Art Honor Society students from Medfield High School were asked to paint the mural, and the wonderful outcome is now displayed on the wall at the Memorial School.
The mural is a bright and cheerful scene tying together images of things that Andrea loved and enjoyed doing, while also incorporating many symbols that represent some of her most cherished beliefs and especially her love for children. As Kathy Ravinski said, “…at the heart of Andrea was the kids. She was a champion and advocate for the kids and their families.”
When viewing the mural, one will find many things that represent Andrea, some very obvious and some much more subtle. Images of some of her favorite things are clearly visible: yoga, bike riding and nature scenes, for example. The words to one of her favorite songs, “What a Wonderful World,” are subtly inscribed on the bark of the biggest tree. A turtle can be seen swimming downstream, because a turtle (whose name was Winnie) was the mascot of her classroom.
A rocky river painted throughout the mural represents a belief that she incorporated into many aspects of her life: when you have a challenge in front of you, you have a choice - you can either sit there like a rock stuck in the river and be in denial, or you can find a way to work around the rock and be part of the solution.
There are many more symbols throughout the mural that represent very important things to Andrea, as well as the staff at Memorial, that will surely be discovered and revealed as the years go on. According to Kathy Ravinski, “whether you knew Andrea or not, the current students, families and staff of Memorial will benefit from the mural and all of its meanings, year after year.”
