SUN PRAIRIE, Wis. — Most students would get in trouble for painting on school walls, but students at Westside Elementary School are being praised for their work.
Principal Nikki Burke sparked the idea for students to paint a giant mural spanning several hallways after taking a walk down State Street last summer and seeing all the murals painted alongside the buildings.
“I could see my students in the images that were painted on State Street,” Burke said. “I said, ‘I want something like this at Westside.’”
Burke said the school’s community site coordinator said she had money leftover in her budget and was looking for a project. Burke worked with the school counselor to find a muralist involved in the State Street artwork to come work with students to help them paint their own mural.
Burke eventually got into contact with Mike Lroy who painted 20 murals along State Street last summer. Lroy and the students have been working on the mural since the beginning of February.
Lroy said the students’ mural is their project and wants the students to paint what they want.
“A recurring theme is Black Lives Matter but that isn’t the focus. The focus is unity,” Lroy said.
The mural spans several hallways inside the school, decked out with a variety of colors, patterns and designs. The mural also includes words of love, unity and togetherness.
“My favorite thing is listening to the stories the kids tell while they paint,” Lroy said. “They get so in tune with what they’re doing and they share their feelings and expressions. I learn a lot.”
Burke said she is impressed by what the students came up with in the mural.
“The images that come through are ones of Black Lives Matter, peace, unity, family and it shows them that we are hearing them and that’s what we want for them and for the future.”
Once the mural is finished, Burke said she plans to keep the mural up permanently so students can reflect on the messages for generations to come.
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