Students Transform Washington, D.C. Community with Eco-Mural
Jennifer Ventimiglia is a teacher and English Language Learner coordinator at Paul Public Charter School in Washington, D.C. The author oversaw this year's eco-themed mural project at Paul, a model Project Learning Tree GreenSchool.
The immense wall at the intersection of 8th Street and Peabody Street Northwest used to be a huge, rusty cement eye sore of the Brightwood community in Washington, D.C.
Sixth grade students at Paul Public Charter School (PCS), however, decided to conduct research and develop a proposal to transform this corner. They researched other murals in D.C., evaluated murals’ impact on neighborhoods, and made arguments for why it would be important that the mural should have an eco-theme.
Students combined photos taken around the city, interviews of students and community members, and online research to create a presentation that would win the approval of school administration, community board members, and funders.
From their research, students concluded that murals draw positive attention to neighborhoods. They noted that in the past, murals have been used to make political statements, but in D.C. they are more likely to be used to bring the community together and encourage people to have pride in their neighborhood.
Students concluded that if the mural had a positive message about the environment, people would be more likely to clean up after themselves and not throw trash on the ground.
Together, my students and I created a design for the mural. The task would have seemed daunting since it is such a huge wall, but there was not a shortage of ideas from the kids.
The theme of the mural was unanimously approved to be “D.C. is Going Green” and it was decided that an “eco wave” would be washing over the Washington skyline and Paul PCS, and the wave would be carried by an environmentally friendly bus.
The work of the muralist Hector Durate inspired students to imagine “green things” emerging from the wave like flowers, leaves, and butterflies.
Ellen Griesedieck, who worked with Paul PCS students on her own American Mural Project, provided the inspiration for the silhouettes of the kids doing a cartwheel and the outlines of the handprints.
Howard University student and artist Michele Goosby worked with us to bring the wall to life. Ms. Goosby further enhanced the design by making a tree with the recycling sign for its foliage as its central point and worked to add more fruits and vegetables into the wall in order to represent the school yard garden students had also helped to develop through Project Learning Tree’s GreenSchools! initiative.
The mural was truly a collaborative process that involved teachers, students, and community members. Students regularly continued to come even two weeks into summer vacation to finish the mural.
Despite the heat, the gnats, and the labor, all of the people passing by, honking their horns, and yelling out good wishes of “looking good!” and “way to go!” made it all worth it.
After three weeks, dozens of gallons of paint, oodles of paint brushes, several trips to ACE Hardware, the mural is complete thanks to 20-plus student volunteers, Michele Goosby, the American Forest Foundation through its GreenSchools! program, and the support of the community!
See more photos of Paul PCS' mural on PLT's Facebook page.
Photo credit Jennifer Ventimiglia
