Lakewood Ranch does tiles in style

It was another Tile Night PTO fundraiser at Gilbert W. McNeal Elementary for Serena Petri and her fifth-grade son, Logan Patel, which meant they had another chance to create art together.

The fundraiser allows students and their parents to buy tiles for $4 each and then paint them. Those tiles eventually are hung in the hallway near the school's main office, 1,674 of them before this year's haul. The PTO raises about $700 to $800 a year for needed supplies.

“Every time we come to school, we look at the old tiles we made in previous years,” Petri said. “Usually he makes a football- or baseball-themed tile, but this year he looked on the internet and found a cool diamond design.”

The fundraiser was held Oct. 16. After the students and parents finish painting, the tiles are taken to Arts A Blaze in Lakewood Ranch, where owners Theresa Barion and Dan Barion glaze the tiles and fire them in a kiln.

After firing, the tiles go to the PTO members who hang them in the school's hallways where they remain year after year. The students have made tiles since the school opened in 2003. They will add about 200 tiles this year.

The Barions became involved in the program 10 years ago when they opened Arts A Blaze because their son, Nicholas, was a student at McNeal.

“We love to come here every year and see the kids growing," Theresa Barion said.

Petri’s son is leaving McNeal after this school year, but she’ll always be able to look back on the tiles they made together.

Other parents were starting traditions of their own. Audrey Bahling, a kindergartner, drew a lion on her tile because it’s her favorite animal.

Her father, Nick Bahling, seemed surprised to learn his daughter had a favorite animal.

“I like lions because they have big fuzzy manes, but I like other animals, too, like wolves and tigers,” she said.

Bahling said it will be nice to see the tile and remember his daughter's favorite animal when she was in kindergarten.

Teresa Laferriere and her fourth-grade daughter, Halle, just moved to Lakewood Ranch and experienced their first tile night at McNeal Elementary. Teresa Lafferriere likes the way McNeal keeps its students’ artwork on display for years to come.

“The school embraces having a piece of the kids left behind that lets parents see how they had grown and how their artwork changes,” said Teresa Laferriere, who is happy her daughter's painting of a bunny will grace the hallway for years to come.

Stephanie Guido’s children, kindergartner Carly Guido and second-grader Stella Guido, were busy painting their tiles.

“It’s always fun to have family visit and to point out the tiles the girls made,” said Stephanie Guido, who turned to her children. “Right girls?”

They were too busy painting to hear their mom.