Mott Haven Academy Charter School: Haven Values

The theme Haven Values came from brainstorming with the students in the classroom over the kind of mark they wanted to leave behind for their school after they graduate. Many of them wanted to share their favorite parts of their community, the school’s core values and their own special interests on the wall. Leading artist Colleen Kong-Savage incorporated ideas such as drawings of characters, concepts and messages the students wanted to share into the mural design that blended well with a preexisting mural above the space. One of the biggest highlights of the design became the school husky mascot bringing joy to all the younger students and school faculty members that saw the mural process during production.

Images like the love letters, birds, patterns, buses and activities depicted were ideas the students shared through their drawings and open discussion in the classroom. In this 15 week program students who participated, ranged between the ages of 12 to 14 years young in the 7th and 8th grade. Thrive artists Colleen, Plushie, Miri Banana, Kenneth Tooley and Yukiko Izumi assisted in this collaborative process with the help of Mott Haven’s supportive and enthusiastic staff to share the students’ vision. Upon the mural’s completion all of the students, artists and school staff involved celebrated with a ribbon cutting that brought such a wonderful school year to an end.