School News

A mural with a message

William L. Buck School to plant educational garden near outdoor artwork

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A new garden is in the works at the William L. Buck School in District 24, the effort initiated with the hanging of a mural on the front of the building that reminds students to “Take care of our Earth, it’s the only one we have.”

Kindergarten teacher Lynne Sollin said the mural, which was unveiled in May, built on what the students learned earlier through stories they read about pollution and the cutting down of trees, and the resulting impact on all other forms of life. Sollin said that in an era of climate change and accelerated extinctions of species, the message to the students is, “You can start to make a change now.”

“They seem to really remember, which is great,” Sollin said, adding that students will sometimes report their older siblings’ littering and other behavior they learned is bad for the environment.

Parent Tania Corse is a professional artist who does decorative painting. She helped the students, including her 5-year-old daughter, Gia, create the mural, which features smiling children standing on grass in front of a bright backdrop of blue sky.

A garden with a cherry blossom tree will be added to each year, according to Principal Mark Onorato, who said the mural and garden would be used educationally.

The project was made possible by a grant from the school’s Parent Teacher Association.