This project will take place at North Hills Preparatory, a K-12 charter school in Irving, TX. "There is an outdoor classroom area which will consist of a 20-foot-wide central concrete medallion and semi-circular rows of concrete benches," said Richey, the mosaic artist responsible for spearheading the project. "We'll be adhering the mosaic to the circle. In subsequent years, we may try to clad the benches with mosaics, as well.

"I've been wanting to mosaic those bare concrete forms for some time," Richey went on to say. "The opportunity to design the mosaic was initiated by my daughter, Claire, who had to design a personal project for her coursework."

As part of her project, Claire had to seek approval from the head administrator, the school board and the Las Colinas Association architectural control committee. After her samples and drawings were submitted, she received approval from all to proceed. Richey's involvement was to be in gathering resources, funds and arranging for mosaic artist volunteers to complete the fabrication and installation.

A budget was arrived at based on past experience with local public art projects. In March, a fundraiser cocktail party was hosted which, with the help of sponsors, raised the needed funds for the tile and pattern expenses.

"Henry B. Rothberg of Laticrete soon got involved, pledging to generously donate the necessary Laticrete materials. This was exciting for me, as I've worked with Laticrete products before, with great results," said Richey.

The forthcoming plan for the outdoor classroom is to begin installation of the mosaics in October 2012, when the temperature in Texas generally drops down below 80 degrees.