Art on the Wall

 Art on the Wall

    Humberto sighed disgustedly as he looked at the spray-painted images that again covered the wall of his school. The custodians always repainted the wall whenever vandalism occurred, but Humberto was frustrated with this cycle. He wondered if painting a mural on the wall would deter more images from appearing on his school. Humberto presented his idea to his friend Justin, who suggested that they approach their principal for permission to paint a mural on the wall.

    The principal fully supported their idea, but noted that completing a project this large would require many volunteers. With their parents' help, Humberto and Justin organized a large group of volunteers to work on the mural. At their principal's suggestion, they asked the art teacher, Ms. Huerta, to design the mural.

    Ms. Huerta designed a beautiful scene showing students helping each other, with the school's name spelled out in the clouds over their heads. The design was projected onto the wall and the lines were carefully traced by many hands. Finally, small paint brushes and cans of paint were handed out and color was added to the scene.

    Over the next few weeks, the number of volunteers grew until there was not enough room for all of the painters, so some of the extra volunteers cleaned up litter and planted new flowers. When the project was complete, Humberto and Justin viewed the mural and school grounds with satisfaction. They also noted with pride that the school was never vandalized again.