ADELANTE HIGH SCHOOL

DRY CREEKMOSAIC MURALPROJECT

Science Meets

To view this brochure online visit Adelante High School’s website at www.rjuhsd.com/Domain/117

Inspired by the UC Davis Art/Science Fusion Program, this Dry Creek Ceramic mosaic mural portrays Adelante High School’s Riparian Study Area. Similar to the UC Davis program, this mural project emphasized a teaching/learning model where classroom instruction and student field work, coupled with the artistic medium of ceramics, were the forum for both student artistic expression and scientific inquiry.

The project began in 2009 when Adelante’s science and art teachers, Katie Palatinus and Annie Robinson, collaborated with ceramic artist Eric Peach. Together they spent four years developing the mural’s inspirational vision and writing the necessary grants.

Funding was originally obtained through a City of Roseville Citizen’s Benefit Fund grant. Science and art classroom budgets, GATE funding, a Roseville Urban Forest Foundation grant, a CAL FIRE grant and many private donations also contributed funding to this project.

Environmental Science, Biology and Earth Science students spent time in the Dry Creek riparian area adjacent to Adelante’s campus exploring, studying, and developing the vision and natural features that would eventually be depicted in the mural. Inspired by the UC Davis Art/Fusion Project, they chose to magnify

Science Meets certain features of the ecosystem they were studying. For example, an Oak tree, a stream and riparian area, foothills and mountains are central themes in the watershed design. Student ideas and sketches were submitted, approved, and incorporated into the mosaic mural.

Work began on the Oak tree section September 2009. Using student sketches and templates, the tree trunk and hundreds of leaves and acorns were formed out of clay in Adelante’s art room. In the spring of 2010, volunteer artists Eric Peach and Michelle Mahan facilitated clay workshops in the Ecology classes. Students put away their pens and paper one day a week, kept their books and

sketches handy, and worked on assembling pieces for the mural. The science lab tables were covered, clay working tools replaced writing utensils, and students got their hands dirty with clay. They learned about glazes and the importance of color adaptions in nature. By the end of the 2009-10 school year, we had several plastic tubs full of ceramic pieces waiting to be strategically placed somewhere on the wall.

Several pieces in the mural are from a partnership established with the Protect the American River Canyon (PARC) group. Their booth at the American River Confluence Festivals in Auburn, California included interactive opportunities to play with clay and create custom pieces for several different community projects. In June 2009 and 2010, Adelante High School students and teachers assisted festival attendees as they made fish and aquatic insects for this mural.

Mural artist Jenny Reuter volunteered several hours to draw a “to scale” image of the project. This was a monumental and much needed step towards developing a workable plan to implement the various phases of the mural.

Using Jenny’s drawings to guide them, art students began applying the ceramic pieces to the wall during the 2010-11 school year.

Tile was broken into thousands of pieces and sorted by shades of color for the various backgrounds. Students painstakingly applied the broken pieces of tile to the wall as the project proceeded.

In 2011 Adelante High School participated in the regional Watershed Festival by hosting the 1st Annual Watershed Festival Art Exhibit. They showcased the mural and invited other nature artists to display and/or sell their works of Watershed art.

Grouting the mural began in 2012 and took a year to complete. Students, teachers, and volunteers donned gloves and aprons before shoving and massaging the colored muck into the nooks and crannies that separated both sculpted pieces and broken tile backgrounds. The grout gave the mural an amazingly vivid and beautiful face.

During the 2013-14 school year, many students, volunteers, and Adelante High School teachers Katie Palatinus and Annie Robinson dedicated their time to adding finishing touches and perfecting the mural. They also researched, took photos, and wrote text for this brochure. In May 2014, the final design, layout, and printing by TheMarketingMinds publishing company brought closure to the Dry Creek Mosaic Mural.

Atmosphere Hydrosphere

Biosphere

Geosphere

The Ear th is an integrated system that consists of rock, air, water,and living things that all interact with each other.

The system is divided into four par ts:

SunThe visible part of the Sun is roughly 5,500 degrees C (10,000 degrees F), while temperatures in the core reach more than 15 million degrees C (27 million degrees F). The distance from the Sun to Earth averages about 150 million km (93 million mi). Light travels from the Sun to Earth in about 8 minutes. Light energy is captured by plants and other organisms to perform photosynthesis, which supports the majority of life on Earth.

Some of the Sun’s energy also drives Earth's climate and weather. Sunlight that penetrates the Earth’s atmosphere heats the surface of the Earth. The greenhouse effect is a process by

which the thermal radiation from the Earth’s surface is absorbed by atmospheric greenhouse gases (carbon dioxide, water,

methane, and others). This energy is re-radiated in all directions. Since part of this re-radiation is back

towards the surface of the Earth and the lower atmosphere, it results in an increase of the average atmospheric temperature. . Earth’s natural greenhouse effect makes life as we know it possible. However, human activities, primarily the burning of fossil fuels and clearing of forests, have intensified the

natural greenhouse effect, contributing to global warming concerns.

In the Earth, the lithosphere includes the crust and the uppermost mantle, which constitute the hard and rigid outer layer of the Earth. The lithosphere is divided into pieces called plates. Over long periods of time tectonic forces, that originated beneath the surface at the boundaries of the North American and the Pacific Plates, created the high mountains and broad valleys we see today in California. California is one of the most geologically complex places in the world.

In the Cascade Range in Northern California, Mount Lassen is the southern most active volcano. Lassen rises 2,000 ft (600 m) above the surrounding terrain and is one of the largest lava domes on Earth. It was created on the destroyed, northeastern flank of Mount Tehama, a stratovolcano that was at least 1,000 ft (300 m) higher than Lassen Peak.

Soil is the mixture of minerals, organic matter, gases, liquids and micro and macro organisms that can support plant life. It performs four important functions: it is a medium for plant growth; a means of water storage, supply and purification; a modifier of the atmosphere; and a habitat for organisms.

An incredible diversity of organisms makes up the soil food web. They range in size from the tiniest one-celled bacteria, algae, fungi, and protozoa, to the visible earthworms, insects, small vertebrates, and plants. As these organisms eat, grow, and move through the soil, they make it possible to have clean water, clean air, healthy plants, and moderated water flow.

The atmosphere insulates Earth’s surface. There are several layers to the atmosphere. The troposphere is the layer nearest Earth. The troposphere is mostly heated through energy transfer from the surface of the Earth. Nearly all atmospheric water vapor (moisture) is found here, so it is in the troposphere where most of Earth’s weather takes place. Gravity allows our planet to maintain our atmosphere.

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GEOSPHERE ATMOSPHERE HYDROSPHEREFreshwater Biomes

Freshwater biomes include lakes, ponds, rivers, streams and wetlands. The organisms that make up food webs in freshwater systems are diverse and important.

There are a variety of fish, birds, inver tebrates (insects, crustaceans, etc.) that make freshwater biomes their home.

At the bottom of a body of water is the benthic community. Benthos is derived from the Greek word bathys, meaning “deep”. They are living “water purifiers”. The benthic communities break down the organic matter that falls into streams while removing

dissolved nutrients from the water. They can be thought of as “digestion systems”. The structure and composition of a benthic community is an excellent bio-indicator of

pollution and habitat quality.

Cattails (Typha latifolia) are the first wetland plants to colonize areas of newly exposed wet mud. They grow along the shoreline of many fresh water

biomes. Wetland mammals may feed on them and use them to construct dens. Birds use the seed hairs as a nest lining.

The hydrosphere includes all of the water in or near the Earth’s surface. It includes water in the oceans, lakes, rivers, wetlands, ice caps, soil, rock layers, and clouds. One major requirement of living things is water. A little more than 3% of all water on Earth is fresh water.

Water CycleThe water cycle begins when the Sun’s energy warms water enough to cause evaporation, turning the liquid into gas (water vapor). As the water vapor rises it cools and condenses, forming clouds. When the water droplets are large enough gravity pulls them toward the Earth as precipitation. Precipitation will soak into the Earth as ground water, flow into creeks and streams as run-off, or replenish evaporated water from the oceans, seas and lakes.

BIOSPHERE Abiotic Factors ofStream EcologyAbiotic factors are non-living chemical and physical properties in the environment.

Flow is the key factor in influencing the stream ecology.

Light is important because it provides the energy and shadowing affects.Temperature may fluctuate with seasons, depth, and speed of water.

Chemistry is determined by inputs from the watershed and can be influenced by precipitation and pollutants. Oxygen is the most important chemical as all aerobic organisms require it for survival. Fast, turbulent streams expose more of the water’s surface area to the air and tend to have lower temperatures and thus more oxygen. Substrate is the material that rests at the bottom of a stream. It is classified by size and includes mud, sand, granule, pebble, cobble or boulder. It affects the life found within the stream habitat.

Biotic FactorsBiotic factors are all the living and previously living components, including single cell organisms and decomposing plant and animal material. The energy and matter produced by plants and other autotro-phs (organisms capable of synthesizing its own food from inorganic substances, using light or chemical energy) are distributed to other organisms in an ecosystem through pathways known as food chains and food webs.

A food chain is a simple linkage of producers to consumers through feeding relationships. Plants and other autotrophs are the producers of the biosphere. Producers are important to freshwater biomes because they provide oxygen through photosynthesis, and food for animals in this biome.

When a small fish eats an aquatic insect, and a larger fish eats the small fish, the two fish and the insect are linked in a food chain.

Food webs are more complex, and consist of a network of linked food chains. Bacteria and fungus (mushrooms) decompose material

on the surfaces of rocks and vegetation. They play a large role in energy recycling.

Riparian ZoneThe word “riparian” is derived from the Latin word ripa, meaning “river bank”. A riparian zone or riparian area is the interface between land and a river or stream. Riparian zones protect aquatic environments from excessive sedimentation, polluted surface runoff, and erosion. They supply habitat biodiversity, shelter, and food for many aquatic animals. The vegetation surrounding the stream helps to shade the water, which is an important part of stream temperature regulation. Riparian zones disperse stream energy, which results in less soil erosion and a reduction in flood damage. Pollutants are filtered from surface runoff, which enhances water quality.

Oak TreeAn oak is a tree or shrub native to the Northern Hemisphere. Its fruit is a

nut called an acorn and takes 6-18 months to mature, depending on the species.There are approximately 90 species of oak trees in the U.S., of which the Valley Oak

(Quercus lobata) is the tallest oak in California. The Valley Oak is deciduous (losing its leavesin the fall) and grows in deep, fertile soil near streams and rivers. It produces leaves with deep

lobes and large acorns.

Oak woodlands affect the variety and abundance of wildlife, providing food, water, and cover for over 350 vertebrate species. They are a key element of watersheds that protect drinking water.

These habitats where we find these native trees are rapidly diminishing.

Oaks provide a vital resource for creatures, great and small. Acorns are a food source for dozens of different bird species, mule deer, and, of course, the consummate hoarder, the squirrel. Besides acorns,

various insects use the leaves, bark, twigs, and wood as a source of food. These insects then become a food source for animals higher up in the food chain. Other wildlife species depend on the grasses, fungi, seeds, insects and other foods found in oak communities. Many insects make themselves at home

in oaks. Galls are formed when wasps place their eggs in leaves or branches. The tissue is irritated by the eggs and grows around them, forming an “insect nursery”. Barn owls and ducks use oaks

as their homes. Bees build their hives in oaks. Birds and squirrels nest in oaks. Round worms and earth worms live within an oak’s root system. The leaf mulch

at a tree’s base has organisms that help decompose dead leaves making the soil more fertile.

Life Cycle of SalmonThe life cycle of salmon follows a series of stages as it develops from an egg to an adult fish.

During spawning, eggs are deposited by the female in “redds” (a gravel depression scoured out by the adults with their tails). Depending on water temperature, eggs will take between 6 – 12 weeks to hatch.

Alevin are newly hatched fish. They derive their nourishment from the yolk sac of the egg for several weeks. Once the sac has been absorbed the “fry” begin to emerge from the gravel and swim freely, looking for food for the first time. They will feed on tiny invertebrates and on the carcasses of the adults which died after spawning. These fry will remain in the fresh water for a period of time ranging from a few days up to 2 years, depending on the species. At this time the fry undergo a change and become smolt, which enables them to live in salt water. They then migrate down the river and into the ocean where it will spend the next phase of its life.

When an adult fish has finished growing in the ocean they seek out the rivers in which they were born to spawn. They change from bright silver to darker colored adults. The life cycle ends for the adults after making the “redd” and laying eggs.

BiosphereThe layer of the Earth that can support life is called the biosphere. Life requires water, average temperatures between 10 and 40 degrees C (50 and 104 degrees F), and a source of energy.

Energy is constantly added to the biosphere from the Sun.

WatershedA watershed or drainage basin includes both the streams and rivers that convey the water as well as the land surfaces from which water drains into those channels.

p g pfeeding relationships. Plants and other autotrobiosphere. Producers are important to freshwprovide oxygen through photosynthesis, and f

When a small fish eats an aquatic insect, andfish, the two fish and the insect are linked in

Food webs are more complex, and consistchains. Bacteria and fungus (mushro

on the surfaces of rocks and vegrole in energy recycling.

Riparian ZoneThe word “riparian” is derived from the Latin wordripa, meaning “river bank”. A riparian zone or ripaarea is the interface between land and a river or sRiparian zones protect aquatic environments fromsedimentation, polluted surface runoff, and erosio

p g pees in the U.S., of which the Valley Oake Valley Oak is deciduous (losing its leavesms and rivers. It produces leaves with deepacorns.

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d small. Acorns are a food source for dozens nsummate hoarder, the squirrel. Besides acorns,a source of food. These insects then become aOther wildlife species depend on the grasses, unities. Many insects make themselves at home s in leaves or branches. The tissue is irritated ect nursery”. Barn owls and ducks use oaksks. Birds and squirrels nest in oaks. n oak’s root system. The leaf mulch decompose dead leaves makingertile.

Project Design & Planning: Katie Palatinus, Annie Robinson (Adelante High School Science and Art Teachers), and Eric Peach (PARC – Protect the American River Canyon)

Art Pieces and Mural Work: Adelante Students (2009-2012), Eric Peach, Michelle Mahan, Virginia Dains (Clay Artists), Annie Robinson, Katie Palatinus, and American River Confluence Festival Volunteers (2009 -2010)

Mural Design: AHS Students (2009 – 2010), Jennifer Router (Muralist), Annie Robinson and Katie Palatinus

Brochure Photos and Text: Joe Palatinus, Eric Peach, Katie Palatinus, Jordan Barnett (AHS student 2014)

Graphic Design and Printing: The Marketing Minds Group Inc

Donations: reCREATE, DalTile, Arizona Tile, Virginia Dains, Eric Peach, Michelle Mahan, John Kimmel, Chris Grimes, Katie Palatinus

Funding: City of Roseville Citizen’s Benefit Fund 2009-2010, GATE Funds RJUHSD, CAL FIRE grant, Roseville Urban Forest Foundation grant

Acknowledgements: Contacts: Katie Palatinus, kjpalatinus@yahoo.com Annie Robinson, lrobinsosn@rjuhsd.us

Adelante High School is an alternative continuation high school in the Roseville Joint Union High School District. The Dry Creek Mosaic Mural is located on the science building, Room 19. The public is welcome to view the mural, but please contact the school before visiting the campus.Adelante High School • 350 Atlantic Street • Roseville, CA 95678 • 916-782-3155