Panels with a purpose
Panels with a Purpose invited local businesses and organizations to play a visible role in shaping the future of arts and culture in our community while uplifting young voices. This unique fundraising initiative engaged local schools to create original artwork to be displayed on panels installed along the construction fence of the Greater Vernon Cultural Centre—transforming a worksite into a vibrant public gallery. Sponsors stepped forward and demonstrated their support for arts education, community pride, and the creation of a landmark cultural facility, while receiving prominent on-site recognition, community goodwill, and meaningful alignment with youth creativity and cultural investment. We hope you enjoy the exhibit!
Rhonda Peterson of Alexis Park and her Grade 2/3 class created artworks inspired by their favourite animals. Ms. Peterson has a great passion for connecting her students with the community, and can be seen taking her students on the city bus to places like Vernon Creek for the Okanagan Nation Alliance Fry release. Her favourite animal is a polar bear. The artists are shown below with a description of their artwork and their photos are arranged in the same order as the artwork in this original image of the art.
This panel was generously sponsored by AI Machine and Welding Ltd.
Emerald Holden worked with her class to co-curate an image of the north okanagan’s natural environment.
This panel was generously sponsored by Sawchuk Developments Ltd.
Chloe Mongerson and her Grade 6 class created artwork inspired by the importance of water. Some works show the relationship with water and the natural environment, including people, where others focused on water’s beauty.
This panel was generously sponsored by Tolko
Artwork created students of Beairsto teacher, Sara Mclean.
This panel was sponsored by Russel Shortt Land Surveyors
GVCC collaboration art
This panel is generously sponsored by the Gentleman’s Shop.
DIVISION 10 – Ms. Helton’s class
Ellie
Jaxon
Elijah
Sophia
Sasha
Weston
Arie
Kailey
Casey
Will
DIVISION 12 – Mrs. Cooke’s class
William
Madi
Kristen
Ollie
Ben
Jasper
Matteo
Hudson
Davis
Carter
Crystal
Billie
Raylan
Sawyer
Reegan
Wyatt
Charley
Jack
Layla
Jaden
May
Ethan
Danielle
Rolly
Douglas
Raven
Chloe
Jasmine
Yaami
Jeremy
Lexi
Aiden
Aodhan
Kash
Leah
Brady
Austin
Aurora
Kim
Harmon
With special help from Michelle and Jolene
Grade 6 and 7 teacher, Crystal Beach, and her students created sunny artworks of flowers, bringing to mind the Okanagan hillsides peppered with Arrowleaf Balsamroot.
This panels was sponsored by Blanca’s Hair Studio.
The Hillview elementary panels were sponsored by Eatology and Station BBQ. Hillview School is located on the beautiful, ancestral, unceded territory of the Syilx Okanagan People, where we are proud to love, learn, work and play. Our school is situated in a family-oriented neighbourhood in Vernon, British Columbia, surrounded by farmland, heritage homes, and views of the Okanagan Valley. Hillview has a long and proud history, with many families connected to the school across generations, fostering a strong sense of belonging and community. Hillview Elementary serves 383 students in 17 divisions from kindergarten to Grade 7. As our school continues to grow, our student population reflects increasing diversity. We are proud to represent many cultures and to welcome international students, enriching the learning environment for all. We are the Hillview HEROES—Helpful, Engaged, Respectful citizens with Open Hearts and Open Minds. Students participate in a variety of extracurricular activities, including games club, sports teams, intramurals, choir, and leadership roles such as announcements,
assemblies, buddy programs, playground and lunch monitoring, and recycling initiatives. All students benefit from a strong music program that includes vocals, guitar, recorder, and drumming. Our performances are well-supported by the community. Hillview Elementary is supported by a dedicated Parent Advisory Council (PAC) that organizes engaging community
events and operates a robust hot lunch program. Together with our many community volunteers, the PAC plays an essential role in strengthening connections between home
and school, helping to make Hillview not just a place of learning, but a vibrant and connected community.
Mrs. Allysha Loewen and her Grade 2 and 3 class from Kidston Elementary School created a mosaic made from individual artworks where each student produced artwork that was inspired by the Coldstream area or activities that they liked to participate in here in the North Okanagan.
This panel was generously sponsored by Revery Architecture.
Ms. Melissa Yurkowski worked with her class to create inspirational art that captured images of themselves that also showed the things that they like to do or are passionate about.
This panel is sponsored by Impressions Salon.
Alicia Marchand worked with her students at Nk̓maplqs Iʔ Snm̓am̓ay̓aʔtn Iʔ K̓l Sqilxʷtət, the Syilx Cultural Immersion School, to create artwork that used items gathered from the land. The multimedia artwork incorporated elements of the four food chiefs – specifically, Chief Salmon (ntytyix) and Chief Saskatoon Berry (Siyaʔ).
– Learn more about the four food chiefs.
This panel was sponsored by the Vernon Flower Shop
Teacher, Desiree Baldo, worked with her class to create art that incorporated the four food chiefs: skəmxist (Black Bear), ntytyix (Spring Salmon), spitlem (Bitterroot) and siyaʔ (Saskatoon), and emphasized how all of us need water (siwɬkʷ). The artwork also shared translations of words in the Nsyilxcen/Okanagan language.
The importance of water in Syilx communities and governance is related through captikʷł and the natural laws. Syilx governance systems have always sustainably and respectfully managed water. In July 2014, the Okanagan Nation Alliance endorsed the Syilx Water Declaration that was put forth by the Natural Resources Council, which will be a living document. Syilx communities have always recognized and nurtured a strong connection towards siwɬkʷ (water). How can you contribute and uphold the Syilx Water Declaration?
Learn: Read, understand and share the importance of our roles as caretakers of the land and water.
Share: this declaration with your class, colleagues and community.
Act: Be mindful of your water consumption and usage – water is to be shared, not something we own.
Okanagan Landing is a school with heart~
Welcome! We hope you truly enjoy our creatively colourful ‘school mural’ designed by all of our students from Spring 2026, entitled “OKL Garden Party of the Night”. As the vivid beauty of nature surrounds our little school on the hill, we felt inspired to create a fun ‘glowing’ artistic expression to celebrate and share with you. Many things live under the stars and creatively come alive in our imaginations. With gratitude, we acknowledge the ancestral Okanagan lands of the Syilx Nation, where we live, work, learn, grow and play.
Okanagan Landing Elementary (OKL) is abundantly surrounded by rolling hills, scenic trails, trees, birds and water as it is situated near Okanagan Lake. We see vivid, bright, vibrant colour as spring awakens and the gifts of nature continue to blossom and bloom. In our own beautiful school garden, “OKL Pollinator Landing”, you see various birds, flowers, vegetables, shrubs and other plants as everything is connected. It is common to see the land welcoming many deer, coyotes, geese, squirrels, bees, and other insects too.
As a whole school, we aimed to showcase and celebrate the gifts of nature through inspirations from our own beautiful ‘Pollinator Landing’ school garden. Its beauty and views speak to us in volumes, especially as we honour the ancestral land of the Syilx Nation. We strived to capture just some of this eye-catching beauty which inspires us each and every day.
We hope you experience the joy we experience daily in our beautiful surroundings.
Thank you Ms. McAllister (our school librarian) for leading this project & helping students create this stunning, eye-catching art you see!
Lead by teacher, Simon Challen, the graffiti inspired artwork created by students from Seaton Secondary School is sponsored by Ratio Coffee and Pastry.
Mrs. Wournell’s and Mrs. Charest’s Class
The grades 5/6/7 Enriched Arts program encompasses art appreciation through doing, thinking and speaking about art. We use the “Language of Art” known as the elements and principles of art and design to guide and enrich our path. At every opportunity, we visit galleries and view the work of many artists and cultures.
Each year, the grade sevens have created a legacy project, mainly in the form of murals that are now displayed inside and outside of our school. Our Grade sevens were excited to showcase their work in this mural as this year’s legacy project. You will see the Grade seven’s art to the right of the mural in the Mona Lisa pictures completed in Gr. 6, as well as in the moose watercolours, and in their graffiti names completed in Gr. 7.
Paul Rossetti (principal) initiated this program in 2019 with Ms. Bouchard in mind (a graduate A.C.A., now called the Alberta University of the Arts, and of U.B.C. for her teaching degree). The program continues under the watchful guardianship of our current principal, Mrs. Inzunza. St. James gives a very special thanks to Tannis Nelson who came up with the idea and initiated the project and to all of her wonderful volunteers who cheerfully and selflessly made this possible (shoutout to Evelyn). A culture is importantly measured by its support of the arts and what a great way this is to kick off and showcase student work!
This panel was generously sponsored by Vernon Elks 45. The Vernon Elks have been tremendous supporters of the Greater Vernon Cultural Centre. Thank you, Elks Club members!
