Sponsor
New Hanover Upper Frederick Parent Teacher Organization
Project coordinator: Kim Moeller
2547 Big Road
Frederick, PA 19435-9701
610-754-9580
Stephanie Wilson, principal
swilson@boyertownasd.org
Artist
Diana McKee
215-234-0377
mckeestudio@comcast.net
About the sponsor:
Each decision regarding “Freddie” went through a voting process at NHUF. Each child voted on which style of bear they wanted: seated or standing. They also voted on which artist would create him. It was a nice lesson for them. ~kim moeller
Freddie has symbols of what NHUF teaches every child: the basic academics—math, English, science, social studies, the arts. But NHUF teaches more than that. If you look closely, there are symbols representing the caring teachers, friends, and community members.
Freddie is dressed to represent the carefree child with his shoes are untied! Yet he is eager to learn; his backpack is full.
But what counts most comes from within. To illustrate that aspect, every child—young and old—parent and teachers too—will have an opportunity to place his or her own paper heart in the bear capturing a dream or special thought each person holds in his heart.
The main message is that we are all a part of the big picture. NHUF knows that and doesn't just teach what is on the outside. They teach from the heart. ~diana mckee
About the artist:
Artist Diana McKee created Freddy Hanover to represent one of the many busy, caring, friendly students who attend New Hanover/Upper Frederick Elementary School. His backpack is crammed with some of his most valued tools: notebook paper, crayons, paints, DARE fliers and No Place for Hate messages and decorated by symbols of his future—Boyertown's bear paws, the US flag, the globe of our world.
Wearing the uniform of today's student—sneakers, jeans, and a striped t-shirt, Freddy enjoys his special status as mascot yet proudly fits right in with every other student at NHUF.
Diana paints florals and landscapes but considers her four children her greatest artistic achievement. She offers private art lessons from her studio in Perkiomenville, PA and is available for commission work. She has completed murals, 3-D Nativities, and portraits for businesses, families, and brides. She is a member of The Greater Norristown Art League, a graduate of North Penn High School, Keystone Junior College, and the School of Visual Art in New York City.
Her illustrations have appeared in Discover magazine, in books produced by publishers Farrar Straus and Giroux and Dutton Lodestar, on Lennox plates, Hallmark cards, and a poster for Keystone Junior College.