Colonial Hills Elementary Students on Footbridge over Rush Creek

A group of students from Colonial Hills Elementary School is shown standing and seated on a footbridge over Rush Creek in this photograph. Many of the students are dressed in raingear. They are holding drawing boards for art projects, with some of the students working on their art.

An article in the June 4, 1997 "Worthington News SNP" detailed the field trip to Rush Creek by approximately 75 Colonial Hills students, mostly those in the third grade. Their visit grew out of conversations between Rush Creek resident and architect Marcia Conrad, who had students at the school, and art teacher Barb Avery. As part of the unit, "In Our Backyard," the students learned about the history of the neighborhood, toured a few homes and drew pictures. The students' pictures were displayed at the Scottie MacBean coffee house, along with a June 8 reception featuring Theodore van Fossen, the designer of Rush Creek Village.

The Rush Creek Village neighborhood in Worthington is based on the organic architecture principles of Frank Lloyd Wright. The builders of the neighborhood were Martha and Richard Wakefield. Homes were designed in accordance with nature and the surrounding homes in the neighborhood as a whole, in a way that protects the privacy and vistas of all residents. In its description of Rush Creek Village, the Worthington Historical Society website notes, "No other organically designed community of this size and architectural consistency exists."