School-Wide Quilt Tells the Story of CJUSD Schools, Now Calls Colton Area Museum Home

A handmade quilt featuring the artwork of several Colton Joint Unified School District (CJUSD) employees and students, now calls the Colton Area Museum home. Over the holiday break, the museum welcomed the addition of the historic CJUSD school-wide quilt. Previously, the quilt was on display at the school district board room since its completion in 2006. Due to limited space in the new board room, the museum was asked to display the quilt indefinitely, on an on-loan basis, museum officials said. The quilt was headed by Cyndie Marksbury and Barbara Rojas, both school district employees who have worked for the district for 25 years. The women's children have all gone through Colton schools. "We talked about it one day and thought it would be cool (to have a quilt for the district)," said Rojas. "We both quilt and have for many years and we thought it would be something nice the district could have." "You know when you just do something because it seems like the right reason? That really was it," said Marksbury. "That really was it and it just kind of came together. We thought it would be nice to do for the district, especially with the fact that each school got to [share] their own vision of their school." The 7-foot tall, 9-foot wide quilt is comprised of 35 custom-made squares, representing each of the district's schools and major departments. It is encased in a hardwood cabinet now on display in the museum's lower level. "We took 12-inch squares of muslin and sent one to each school and major departments and had them do their own artwork to represent their department or school. I mean, the artwork is really beautiful," Rojas said. Colton Area Museum Board Member Dr. Luis “Dr. G” Gonzalez, coordinated the transfer of the quilt to the museum from the school district board room in December. Gonzalez said, “This is a terrific addition to our collection, which anyone who attended one of the Colton schools will enjoy.” Rojas said of the quilt’s new home, “It’s a coming together of all the schools and CJUSD departments. It was a fun project and we really enjoyed working on it. It’s great because it also represents the city of Colton and it also incorporates the cities of Grand Terrace and Bloomington, since we do have schools there, as well.” "The Colton Joint Unified School District quilt is a concrete example for children of how they 'belong' to the city/community," said the district's newest board member, Joanne Thoring-Ojeda. "Residents of a community are part of its present and, in time, its history. This quilt is a novel approach to keeping this message alive and reminding students, young and old, that their experiences within the district are part of the history of the Colton community. Safeguarding it as an historical artifact at the Colton Museum is a statement of the important role schools have on individuals within our community. Schools help shape the culture of communities." The quilt is available for viewing during regular museum hours, Wednesdays and Fridays 1 to 4 p.m. and Saturdays 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.