Coat of Arms

In about 2010 we started to talk about getting an official coat of arms for Pearson. You can apply for a coat of arms with Canada's Governor General. Here is the link, if you would like to look into it:

• APPLY FOR A COAT OF ARMS, FLAG, BADGE

It is a reasonably involved process, but that is not what deterred us from proceeding. The part we did not like was that you had to use one of their official artists to develop the artwork. At a school for the arts that just didn't seem right to us! We did go ahead with the creation of the coat of arms, but we did not have it officially registered, allowing us to use our own artist, Queena Liu, Class of 2016.

We gave Queena info about coats of arms and asked her to do some research. Over the course of about a year, from the fall of Queena's grade 8 year until she entered high school, we collaborated on what we would like to see on the coat of arms. Queena did a number of sketches and many, many revisions! We are VERY happy with how Queena developed the various aspects of the coat of arms to describe the school culture at Pearson.

We now have a large version of the pdf below displayed outside of the office at the school.

Below is a pdf version of the coat of arms sized to 16" by 22' (The original intended size.) As well, at the bottom of the page is the text describing the Pearson's coat of arms.

At the school we have printed versions of the coat of arms on hand-made paper from Papeterie-Saint-Gilles in Quebec available for purchase. (pearson@tvdsb.ca)

Lester B. Pearson School for the Arts coat of arms is a visual and symbolic representation of the school’s philosophy. It is a place where students feel safe, surrounded by a supportive staff and an incredible community, where they are encouraged to explore and create, to ‘dare to dream’ and then make those dreams come true. The motto ‘Dare to Dream’ is also featured in its Latin form, Audete Sominare. There are two ways the English motto can be translated into Latin, one for an individual and one for a community. Chosen is the community version.

The shield in the center is divided into four main sections for the arts, and an overreaching section on top for the academics. The colours of the shield, red, blue, and gold, each carry their own meaning. The red represents passion, ambition, and determination. There is also a strong sense of trust and loyalty, which is represented by the blue placed in juxtapose. The gold portrays the success and achievement of the school’s community.

As stated, the sections of the shield represent the four arts and the academics.

• The wren in the top-left blue section, meaning ‘freedom’, represents dance. Using the creative process, students express thoughts, ideas, and concepts through movement.
• To the right of it in the top red section, music is depicted through a lyre, a significant ancient Greek instrument. Students have the opportunity to create, perform and interpret various genres through the use of wind and string instruments, keyboard and voice.
• Carrying on that theme, the dramatic arts are represented by a bugle and knife in the bottom-left section, taken from two of the nine muses of Greek mythology: Thalia, the muse of comedy and Melpomene, the muse of tragedy. The bugle and knife symbols have been used rather than the more common symbols of the two masks.
• In the bottom-right blue section, a lupine flower represents the visual arts, meaning ‘imagination’. The multi pedaled flower represents the many facets of imagination to solve problems.
• Finally, the quill pen and inkwell in the top section represent the school’s excellent academics.

Supporting the shield on either side are panthers, fierce and protective, the mascot of the school. Vines wrap around them, symbolising strong and lasting friendship. Angelicas, which mean ‘inspiration’, grow from behind the banner of the motto Audete Sominare. At the top, acanthus leaves (‘admiration of the arts’) and lupines (imagination) flank the motto ‘Dare to Dream’ along with the figure of a head. The traditional helmet in a coat of arms has been exchanged for the head where creativity and ingenuity bloom from the mind, while passion, portrayed through the hints of red throughout the entire piece, lies within the soul. The crest at the apex is a double-headed eagle, showing the conjoining of winds and strings, the two classes in a grade.

The coat of arms of Lester B. Pearson School for the Arts was created by Queena Liu, a student in her grade eighth year. It combines both archaic structural elements and a more modern art style.

Queena 2016