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Southern’s annual art project expands

Southern Local Elementary sixth-grader Adam Colussy and high school students Kylee Mehaffey, Autumn Pelley and Cami Chuey paint wooden boards in continuation of a community art project by SLES teacher Kimberly Adams. See story 2A. (Submitted photo)

SALINEVILLE — Southern Local Elementary School students again are expressing themselves, this time in a new way the entire community can enjoy — with a unique fence art project.

About 200 students in grades 4-6 took part in the initial “Take Pride” project last year and created a mural near the Salineville Municipal Building, receiving assistance from a professional artist and Southern Local High School art students.

The tradition is carrying on this year, but the “Taking Pride” project will be scattered throughout the community. Art teacher Kimberly Adams said the latest program has greatly expanded in both size and scope.

“It’s bigger because there is more participation and now it’s being done in the classroom,” she said.

The program aims to engage students and help them understand the value of community by being an active participant in it. Four groups have been gathering during after school to paint wooden fence slats and their creations will be scattered throughout Salineville. Earlier this year, students put pencil to paper to design what they wanted to include on their individual boards. Then they began painting pictures and incorporating everything from their names and self-portraits to sports gear and musical instruments to indicate their interests.

All totaled, the slats would span 120 feet, and this prompted Adams to consider placing smaller fences at different locations. She hoped to have most of the boards ready for display at the District Showcase on Thursday, so attendants could catch a glimpse of what will be exhibited around town, while her goal is to begin erecting the fences in early April. She was seeking permission for locations and said the plan has been gaining interest in town.

“It’s interesting to see what they do because they look so different,” she commented. “They can go find where their board is and spend time looking at the other designs. It’s going to brighten up another area of town.”

It would also showcase the young artists’ talents and continue efforts which began with the mural project last year. The mural, which was unveiled in July during the Salineville Salt Festival, is an artistic retrospective of the village’s history. It measures 16 feet long by 40 feet high and features a series of hexagons with various blue-hued patterns, the phrase “Welcome to Salineville” and renderings of the former Central School building and train station on pieces of plywood. Adams had received permission from the school board and village council and also earned a $600 Best Practices Grant from the Jefferson County Educational Service Center to hire Toledo-based professional artist Matt Taylor. More than 200 elementary students developed designs during their related arts periods over a nine-week period, which were then submitted to Taylor and added to the creation. Elementary and high school students joined Adams, Taylor and SLHS art teacher Laurie Ronshak for two painting sessions that April while 14 high school students added the finishing touches.

Meanwhile, Adams received another $600 Best Practices Grant from JCESC this past year to defray material costs for the fence project.

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