PS/MS 42Q: The Possibilities Are Out of This World

The theme and title for this project was “The Possibilities Are Out of This World”. The theme came together from the various ideas that the students had submitted in the beginning stages of the classes. The only real prompt that we gave them during class was to keep in mind that this mural would be in the staircase where the 3K-Kindergarten students entered from. Of the seven students involved in the afterschool program, the Eighth graders involved, Malachi and Vernell had the idea to include positive messages and words of affirmations in the mural for these younger students to see when they pass by. The theme built out from there, with other students saying they wanted planets and stars in the background. Overall we worked with the students for 10 weeks afterschool from gathering their ideas to putting the initial paint on the Polytab. We later began painting by ourselves to finish up the details in a separate room provided by Principal Finn.

PS/MS 42Q is a school that has worked with Thrive in the past and the support that we received was greatly appreciated. When we arrived at the school at the beginning of this project, Principal Finn was the one who showed us the wall she had selected. She thought it would be a good way for the upper classmen to leave a message behind to all those that would come after. During the ribbon cutting, the administration that was there were very happy with the way the mural had come out and mentioned how the colors in the mural break up the otherwise monotonous staircase.

Overall, while the measurements of the wall proved tricky at times, the project was a great success. The students were very excited to give ideas and work on the mural and see those ideas take shape. This mural features everything from various planets in space to “cotton candy” clouds. Those scenery elements provide a colorful space for the words of affirmations on the building blocks to pop out as the younger students make their way up and the down the staircase.