Morale from school mural

Christine Carrillo

With an assortment of brushes, careful strokes and a palette of

colors such as Buff Pill, Sassy Miss and Planet Tea, the once bland

walls at California Elementary School were transformed into brilliant

murals of student expression by Friday.

With a coat of bright blue paint covering the 33-by-9-foot walls,

third-, fourth- and fifth-grade students had the chance to take a

part in their school’s beautification process with their own hands.

“These paintings instill school pride and they make the school

look nice,” said Stephanie Beck, a parent volunteer and artist who

designed the murals. “They see this and they think, ‘That’s what

we’re all about.’”

Students and parent volunteers worked with staff members from

Operation Clean Slate in Costa Mesa this week to take a simple yet

bold step to beautify the Costa Mesa school.

As the artistic expression of nearly 120 students went onto two

building walls along the perimeter of the playground, a sense of

fulfillment and pride fell over everyone that participated.

“I learned that everybody has to do the same thing so they don’t

fight,” said 10-year-old Jesus Perez, a fourth-grader who helped

paint a book on one of the murals. “It’s great. ... It looks better

with paintings on it because the old one didn’t have any.”

Funded by the school’s Parent-Teacher Assn., the project not only

met the goal of finishing before the Jog-A-Thon on March 19, but it

also reinforced school pride.

One of the murals nearest the primary classrooms featured children

hand-in-hand standing on top of the world -- or half of it -- with

“California Cougars are Respectful, Responsible, Ready” lining the

top and bottom. The other mural, directly across the playground and

nearest the library, showcased various books with “Books are the

Doors to Discovery” above them.

“They will remember this for the rest of their lives,” said

Michael Howard, executive director of Operation Clean Slate, a campus

and community beautification program hired by the PTA to help with

the project.

Having started his Costa Mesa business 10 years ago as a means to

stop graffiti, Howard discovered that the primary reason for the

graffiti was people’s desire to see their work displayed publicly.

“They wanted to do public art ... so I became the person that went

and got the permission,” Howard said. “It gave them a sense of pride,

ownership.”

“This is better than a painting you make in class -- this one is

permanent,” Beck said. “It’s really sparked an artistic interest in

the kids. It really makes them feel good.”