Before
Glenwood Elementary, the school where I taught for 20 years and where my post retirement career began, was ready for something new and bright to be added to their mural collection. The principal wanted to encourage kids with a concept that was once conceived on Sesame Street, the power of yet. Powerful words but what kind of a background would bring so many words to life? The concept of power reminded me of a mural we did about outer space and galaxies, its unimaginable beauty and power. I loved seeing the kids attracted to the colors and then reading the words. I hope they carry that message with them as they face the challenges ahead. I know I have and will continue to do so.
Vinedale Elementary School is a lovely school situated in the canyons of Sun Valley, California where the hawks are to be seen flying overhead daily and nesting in their trees. So, naturally their mascot is the hawk and they wanted a mural with their hawk as the center of attention. I asked how big. Big! Bigger! No, bigger! We projected the seven foot tall hawk on the eight foot tall wall. Oh, the principal forgot to mention she wanted the hawk to be made of the handprints of the children and faculty! Wow! That is a vision I did not see coming! I slept on it while my mind tried to imagine how it would all come together and thankfully it did. Did you know latex gloves come in all sizes from age 4 to adult small and large? That made dipping each one of nearly 300 hands into a dish with paint easy with no clean up mess. Whew! Over three weeks we worked together to make this amazing 30 foot wall come to life and the Vinedale Hawks are very proud of their new mural.
Arminta Elementary school can’t get enough of the beauty of the rainforest. Two years ago we brightened the campus with a giant 36 x 12 foot mural of the rainforest during the pandemic shutdown. Now the kids wanted more! They created a tranquil corner on campus to sit and read or just chat with friends under these trees and helped paint more rainforest. They also planted flowers and painted the pots. They sit and dream the birds they hear singing are in the rainforest! Even the local birds love it!
Children are encouraged to keep dreaming about the possibilities that lie ahead for them at Vinedale Elementary and College Preparatory Middle School. The children in 6-8 grade all participated in beautifying their school with this mural.
