With near-perfect timing – a few days after Independence Day – students and community members completed a mural at Vernon PK-8 School honoring the United States and connectedness across cultures.
The mural is the brainchild of Karla Powell, an AmeriCorps member working with Vernon SUN School’s summer program.
“Kids loved working on the mural,” Powell says. “The children at Vernon are very artistic.”
Local artist and author Addie Boswell outlined the mural using charcoal. Then four SUN students and two other community artists painted the outline to add color, shading and shadows.
The SUN student artists were Mackenzie Fetsch, Shaheed Muhammad, Tremane Salazar and Taiylor Yarbrough; the community artists were Emily Tarleton and Karlene Lusby.
Located on a wall surrounding Vernon’s playground, the mural complements a larger project begun earlier this year in which Vernon students painted 25 flags representing countries worldwide. The theme of the project, “one world,” aligns with Vernon PK-8 School’s work to establish an
International Baccalaureate Programme, an interdisciplinary curriculum with a global focus.
SUN School students Mackenzie Fetsch (left) and Tremane Salazar help paint the mural.
When brainstorming ideas for her mural, Powell realized the U.S. flag wasn’t represented and decided to rectify the situation.
Funding for mural materials came from
Impact NW, which sponsored Powell’s AmeriCorps position and provides social services to children, families, seniors and adults with disabilities living in Multnomah and Clark counties.
SUN Community Schools are part of the SUN Service System, a collaboration of government and nonprofit agencies that offer social and support services to youth, families and community members. Many SUN Schools, like Vernon’s, offer
summer programs in addition to before- and after-school activities.
