Fifth graders leave with a splash of color

The legacy of Wantagh Elementary School’s Class of 2023 will be long-lasting. Just like the classes before them, the departing fifth graders left their mark with the completion of a hallway mural.

The project is an annual tradition and this year was spearheaded by art teacher Eric Rodrigues. Each of the school’s 101 fifth graders was able to paint a piece of the mural, a paint palette that surrounds the art room door. The palette features splashes of different colors along with paint brushes coming out of the top.

“They’ve been looking forward to it all year long,” Rodrigues said, noting that the work of previous fifth grade classes are scattered throughout the building. “They get really excited about it. They enjoy the hands-on aspect. It’s their mark and when they come back to visit the school, they can see this.”

Rodrigues said that his goal is to continue to create murals for the special subject areas, like music and STEAM, and those would likely be the projects for the next few fifth grade classes.