Students and staff at Harrisonville Early Childhood Center are enjoying a new piece of art created by Harrisonville High School students. The National Art Honor Society members created a storybook mural in the hallway outside the library and art and music room at the school.
ECC librarian Kristin Malone asked HHS art teacher Megan Bathgate about the possibility of such a project. Bathgate took photos of the area and put her students to work.
“They knew that we were working with a wall that already had some design to it, but we needed to somehow come up with a plan that would work to cover what was already there,” Bathgate said. “After much collaboration, they decided story book characters would be a great fit, along with the large crayon box to help tie in the library and art (the wall is between the library and art room).”
The high school students spent much of the second semester planning and designing the mural. The students worked after school to create the actual mural.
Malone said the reactions to the new mural have been very positive.
“The kids’ faces are priceless as they see the finished mural. They have been seeing the mural in progress and have been naming the book characters as they see them.”
The mural includes popular characters including Pete the Cat, the Lorax, the mouse from “If You Give A Mouse a Cookie” and “The Hungry Caterpillar.”
“I love that the HHS is giving back to ECC. I went to school here and am raising my own children in this community,” Malone said. “I think it is pretty neat that they want to bring some creativity and light to ECC. I’ve heard multiple ECC teachers tell their students that the high schoolers did the artwork and maybe when they get older, they can come back to ECC and do some artwork too.”
NAHS is a newer organization at HHS. It is composed of art students who support high standards in art scholarship, character and service to bring art education to the school and community.
HHS students involved in the project included Alexis Sites, Brooke Miller, Nick Saffels, Josie Moore, Sophia Sparks, Sophia Johnson, Alyssa Meade, Emma Schroder and Dylan Sailor.