Palmcroft Elementary School has a new mural, and it comes courtesy of Yuma Union High School District students.
As part of the Mastery of the Arts Program, students taking "Paint the Town" designed and painted the mural for their class.
“It’s nice to create things that other people can see and appreciate,” said Elette Hardy, a student who worked on the mural. “We wanted it to be inspiring for students, encourage kids to achieve their dreams, and tie into their motto ‘Work Hard, Dream Big.’”
Palmcroft had a say in the mural, too. Andrea Sinks, an art teacher at Palmcroft, collaborated with the MAP students to finalize the mural's design.
“This mural represents far more than just paint on a wall, it's a result of a powerful partnership between our elementary students and our high school artists,” Sinks said. “Our youngest learners shared their ideas and their imagination, and our high schoolers took these ideas and transformed them into beautiful designs that honored those voices while showcasing artistic vision and their skills. Together we created something meaningful, something lasting, something that belongs to all of us.”
A YUHSD release reports the mural was celebrated with a ribbon cutting ceremony and a tunnel of hope, too. Students and staff lined up with posters to form a tunnel, and they cheered on the artists as they walked through. It was a form of saying thanks and expressing excitement.
At the end of the ceremony, the high schoolers signed the mural, gave speeches, and of course, cut the ribbon on their mural.
The mural essentially serves as a culmination of this year's Pain the Town class. With only a week left till graduation, classes are winding down and some end of year celebrations are already underway.
The muralists saw some extra recognition, for example, Tuesday at the district's annual MAP Gala. All MAP students had a chance to showcase their work, which encompassed the program's various offerings: art, dance, music, puppetry, film, audio production and more.
Each year, MAP pairs community artists with certified teachers to offer classes that are designed as extensions of a student's fine arts high school experience. The classes are college-style, meaning students of all campuses meet weekly at Yuma High School for their class.
“Being in this program has allowed me flexibility in my schedule and given me special opportunities working with the teachers and students from different campuses," said junior Lindsey Yu, a MAP leading artist in the Pitch Perfect class. "Thanks to MAP I've been able to do so many things I never would have had the opportunity to do without it."
According to YUHSD, MAP is always looking for opportunities for students to gain real-life creative experience. Those interested in partnering with the program or creating opportunities for students should contact MAP Executive Director Lauren Spurlock at lspurlock@yumaunion.org.
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Reporting for this article is supported by a grant from the Arizona Local News Foundation.
