COMMUNITY TOTEM

History  & Volunteers 

of the 

WELCOME POLES 

Fenton’s sculpture students were the true instigators of the Community Ceramic Totem Project. These creative visionaries proposed different installations for the courtyard outside their classroom. Their proposals were wrapped into one final idea and submitted as a grant request to the Bensenville Arts Council. By the end of the 2017 school year, the grant was approved and the planning began. 

Community members, FHS staff and students came together to brainstorm ideas for themes, objects, colors, and the size of the new sculpture. The planning team decided upon three totems that were eventually called “Welcome Poles.” The history of the totem is linked to the northwest coastal art of Native Americans. Historical totems were primarily carved out of wood and honored ancestors, cultural beliefs, or notable events. 

These modern totems are created out of clay and celebrate Bensenville’s history, cultural diversity, and the impact Fenton High School has on our community.  The HISTORY pole begins celebrating at Bensenville’s Native American heritage. Symbols of the Blackhawk, Tioga, and Chippewa tribes can easily be seen. The pioneer years are represented with a log cabin, stagecoach, windmill, and Fischer Farm. Some other proud historical Bensenville structures on display are Zion Lutheran Church, Bensenville Theater, Churchville Schoolhouse, and an Milwaukee Railroad sign. The later half of the 20th century was represented with more modern additions to Bensenville including O’hare, the Metra, Bensenville Park District, Redmond Complex, Edge Ice Arena, and White Pines.  The COMMUNITY pole honors our community’s diversity. There are symbols from a multitude of cultures on each segment, along with eighteen different languages represented. The FENTON pole observes the many facets of school life: academics, fine arts, and sports. Keywords of what make up Fenton are also tucked in between images. 

The “Welcome Poles” stand proud on the edge of Fenton’s stadium with plans to welcome many for years to come. Each pole is constructed out of cylindrical terracotta clay segments. The largest of the three totems stands at eight feet tall and is made of sixteen segments. From September to March, young and old community members hung out together in Fenton’s ceramics room to handbuild and glaze each segment. From April to May, Fenton students, Matt Rieger, and FHS Maintenance team helped prepare the ground, dig holes, and install the welcome poles. 

One of the most memorable stories along the way was during a hands on session. A Fenton student came in to work. I had never met him before. He looked at some of the created segments and asked who made one of them. He then shared he recently came from the Ukraine and this segment was in his language. The segment said, “Welcome.” There were many other touching stories like this along the way.

A giant thank you goes out to all those that helped make the “Welcome Poles” a reality: 

Abigail Torres

Adelina Vasakova Sadiku

Amelia Diaz

Amanda Rostis

Anjelica Mendez

Barbara Wojcik

Bensenville Arts Council

Briana Contreras

Bruno Cortes

Brayan Alonzo Gomez

Carlos Gomez

Christina Karling-Baker

Clint Porter

Daniela Franco

David Sidarous

Daylin Maentanis

Eileen Kubica

Elma Jaimes

Eric Ayala

Evelin Ramos

Fateh Bawany

FHS Maintenance Staff

Francis Figueroa

Giana Lozano

Griselda Chomo

Jake Marshall

James Ongtengco

Jamey McDunn

Joy Mendoza

Jude Abushukhaidem

Karen Villegas

Karla Arzeta

Karolina Zawitowska

Katherine Schroeder

Katie Rodwell

Kawther Abushukhaidem

Lanyah Russell

Lauren Lemm

Luis Cozaya 

Lyn Stallsmith

Matt Rieger

Mawedda Abushukhaidem

Mayra Melo Martinez

Michelle Talley

Mitch Russell

Myka Crenshaw

Natalie Diaz

Neo Ramirez

Nicole Thomasy

Nikolina Maric

Phil Marshall

Rayyan Abushukhaidem

Roxanne Jones

Samantha Parkison

Samantha Romero

Savanna Diaz

Susan Martinez

Tilly Stallsmith

Victor Archunia

Victoria Wojcik

Zakyah Russel