Ozzie Arrives in the P Quad

SDA’s newest addition to campus arrived in its new home at the end of the school day today. Wrapped in blankets and caution tape, Ozzie the Seahorse made his journey from the sculpture room down to the P Quad, lasting from homeroom until third period. Installation of the statue was completed during fourth period and Ozzie was then revealed as soon as the final school bell rang.

Sculpture students that volunteered to help were dismissed from one or more of their periods during the day to move the sculpture.

Wearing t-shirts bearing “Operation O.S.S.O.” they helped transport Ozzie using 14 pieces of PVC pipe to roll the sculpture from the 30s and around the outside of the school, entering the P Quad through the teacher parking lot located next to the field. Students also held ropes tied around its base to guide the sculpture.

When planning for the event, students found that going along the sidewalk facing the street was the least difficult path to take for its simplicity.

“I had some students walk the whole campus and they took about four or five different routes,” said sculpture teacher Jeremy Wright, who oversaw the move. “Then I conferred with one of the students that was in charge of the map and [we] decided that this was the best route. We tried to avoid curves and all that kind of stuff.”

The idea to use PVC pipes was based off of the way Egyptians moved heavy objects, Wright said.

Physics teacher George Stimston contributed to the planning that went into moving the large structure by suggesting the railing that was placed on either side of the sculpture’s plywood platform to prevent the plywood from bending and cracking the sculpture.

During the event, senior Amber Berliner played the ukulele to keep the crew entertained. Other students led the way, carrying a banner that read “Welcome Ozzie,” which was later attached to the P Buildings behind the seahorse’s final stop.

Seniors Chloe Griffin and Trevor Anderberg, who both had large roles in the creation of the sculpture, have been working on the seahorse since the idea first developed a year and a half ago. Griffin said that they were excited to see Ozzie delivered to his new home by the sculpture students who helped move him.

Ozzie stands over seven feet tall and weighs around 600 pounds, according to Wright.

About a week before moving day, Wright and his students were confronted with an obstacle, Wright said.

In the process of readying the sculpture for the move, a jack was placed beneath the Ozzie’s chin to assist with the transport, causing the head to loosen. Wright and his students quickly glued and molded the head back on, using a medal strip made by medal teacher Jason Berend for support.

Wright’s inspiration for having students move the sculpture rather than use a forklift is based off of the transportation used for artist Michael Heizer’s “Levitated Mass,” a large boulder wheeled to the LA County Museum of Art from Riverside.

“He’s creating a story for everybody that sees this rock go through their neighborhood,” Wright said. “That’s what I wanted for our students here, a story. There are just so many rich experiences just by not taking the easy way out.”

Ozzie’s purpose is to spread more SDA spirit, Wright said.

“Everything about that [sculpture] and this day is San Dieguito. It’s eclectic; it’s interesting; it’s mystical. It’s San Dieguito; it’s SDA.”

The sculpture will remain in the P Buildings until construction is finished. When the new buildings are completed, Ozzie will move again.