In February of the 2019-20 school year, Lakeshore unveiled a brand new mural taking up the entire back of the school on the top yard. This project was the culmination of months of hard work and community involvement embodying the Lakeshore spirit. Adapted from her guest blog at Parents for Public Schools-SF, here’s the story as told by parent, grant writer, and project coordinator Brittany Jarabek.
Why is this mural different from all the other murals in this colorful city?
Lakeshore Elementary School is uniquely diverse and truly reflects the fiber of the City of San Francisco. If San Francisco looked in the mirror, Lakeshore’s student body would smile back. And this mural reflects our student body! This mural is 100% student driven and created under the outstanding leadership of the Create Peace Project.
Students who fight on the playground worked side by side to puzzle the tile pieces together to create the mural design, students who feel like outcasts made friends with their peers, students who bully put aside their attitudes to work as an equal with their peers. Having worked at the Juvenile Justice Center, with foster youth and running youth programs since 2000, I can attest to this not being something you see every day! The mural promotes peace, problem solving, community, honoring each other’s differences, team work, and finding a place for every student in the process.
It’s unique because all 460+ pairs of student hands touched this work of art. Students noticed how many shades of a color make up a tree, or sand, or even fruit! They took the learning outside the class time! It’s so much more than art. It’s a reflection of our student body, and the final product shows the students what they can do when they put their minds to it! I’ve been involved the entire process and it’s truly been a unique and inspiring experience that words don’t properly share!
The timeline and story:
In June 2019, I wrote a grant for Lakeshore Elementary School PTA to create a mural to celebrate our school’s diverse community. We made it to the top 10 finalists and into the public voting round. In July, with the help of San Franciscans city-wide (we posted everywhere, appealed to every member of the board of Supervisors), Lakeshore made it to the top 5 and was awarded $25,000 from the Jimmie Johnson Foundation’s Blue Bunny Ice Cream Helmet of Hope. We partnered with the Create Peace Project, and on the first day of school this academic year, our students started this epic journey.
In September, parents went into every classroom and talked to students about diversity with students responding to the prompt “I am UNIQUE because….” We collected 485 drawings and statements from our student body. Create Peace Project took these pages and broke them into themes: Family, animals, sports, hobbies and passion, friendship, school etc. And created a drawing using the ideas from the students.
In November and December, Create Peace Project worked with our students every school day! The students broke tile, placed tile and created the Lakeshore Tree. Every student worked on the project at least 2 times. Our students opted to help during recess and were so passionate about this project. The artist has “never worked with such an eager group of students.”
The community came together for two days to do the final details. In February, we installed the project again with community, family, and students involved. It covers 1,500 square feet. It’s a true labor of love and legacy project. Even the artist is “blown away” by the final rendering and the love that’s gone into this work of art!
As we installed, students sat and watched, proudly pointing out the pieces they helped create. They brought their adults over at pick up and drop off and pointed out their contribution! Students have commented how it makes them feel happy. It makes them feel like their school is beautiful. It makes them want to go to school! It’s amazing!
