A COLOURFUL peoplescape of corflute characters welcomed visitors to St Benedict's College and St Benedict's Primary School, Mango Hill, through Catholic Education Week and beyond.

The life-sized figures featured words, images, prayers, quotes, poems and lots of colour to form a beautiful tapestry of visual images that portrayed how St Benedict's community discovered new horizons and new possibilities to bring joy, the themes for Catholic Education Week and the special Year of Youth.

The inspiring art display was the product of a joint initiative of St Benedict's College, St Benedict's Primary School and St Benedict's Parish and youth group to celebrate Catholic Education Week and the Year of Youth.

The idea came from the public art installation displayed in Canberra in 2001 to mark the centenary of federation. 

College Assistant Principal for Religious Education Peter Olley said it was a fantastic effort by the whole community.

Peter said every college PC and primary school class, as well as staff and the parish youth, tapped into the themes for Catholic Education Week and the Year of Youth in their own unique way.

He said it resulted in a very interesting and diverse display that brought their creations alive.

“This interactive approach provided opportunity for all in the community to creatively relate to the theme in their own meaningful way.

“In this Year of Youth, it was uplifting to see such positive engagement depicted by the literally hundreds of ways spreading joy is displayed," he said.

Year 12 student Lizelle Eugenio said it was a great way to bring the community together to create something beautiful and to celebrate all the good things happening in the Mango Hill community.

“It was a lot of fun, very inclusive with a lot of debates about what each figure should encapsulate," she said.

“We had lots of ideas and worked collaboratively to bring them all together.

“They all look fantastic, standing there greeting people as they arrive at our school and college," she said.

Primary School Assistant Principal for Religious Education Ellen Locke said the installation of the colourful art display certainly helped spread a lot of joy with students coming together with their families before and after school to walk through the sculptures and explore the different representations.

Ellen said the goal of the project was to strengthen school, college and parish relationships.

She said all teachers were asked to interpret with their classes the theme of Catholic Education Week and to discuss what spreading joy looked like in their own class community.

“Every class in the primary school and every home room in the college created a person to contribute to the people scape," Ellen said.

“Through our individual voices we are able to come together to represent all that is special and unique about our Catholic school communities.

“It was a great way for our community to celebrate what makes us different yet the same within our St Benedict's community," she said.​