Students at A.F. Ames School in Riverside held a mirror in one hand and a pencil in the other last week as they tried to capture the details of their face down to the crease in their lips and the shape of their eyebrows.

Artist Kevin Olis of Algonquin spent the last week at the school, as part of the Artist in Residence program, where he worked with students during their art classes on a school-wide project.

The project entails Olis tracing the heads of all 305 Ames School students. The students then drew in their facial features.

Olis will “jigsaw” each kid’s head out of the slab of plywood and return in February or March to let the students paint their portrait.

Ames School Principal Colleen Lieggi said the portraits will eventually line the walls leading into the school’s cafeteria where students, faculty and staff will pass by on a daily basis.

Fifth-grader Renee Kunkel said it was fun to be part of a project that will have a permanent place in the halls of Ames School.

“If you come back you see yourself as you were in fifth grade,” Renee said. “It was fun and challenging.”

Lieggi said she invited Olis back to the school for this project because he “engages” the students who she said respond well to him.

“What I like about working with Kevin is he likes to do projects that bring the whole school together,” Lieggi said. “I’ve never found an artist who’s willing to do a whole school community project.”

Olis said he enjoys working with the students and staff at Ames School and said Lieggi does a good job of getting the school community involved in large-scale art projects.

“Praise to Colleen Lieggi who constantly brings projects to the school that unifies students,” Olis said. “They are co-creating.”

This was Olis’ third visit to Ames School to work on an art project.

He has collaborated on previous school-wide projects including the ocean mural theme on the cafeteria walls and the white plaster castings of students which also hang on the school’s walls.

“We try to build a sense of school pride,” Lieggi said.