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Middle School Club Creates Mural

9/4/2018

When Upper and Middle School students visit McFall Hall for lunch, they'll be greeted by a mural that depicts messages from Syrian refugees. The mural was created by members of this year's 7th Grade class who last year founded the Syrian Youth Refugee Association (SYRA), a club aimed at aiding those affected by the ongoing war in that country.

The students studied immigration and refugees in 4th Grade, and through letters, notes and video exchanges, learned of the needs, hopes and dreams of the Syrian youths.

Memories of those encounters lingered, which led to the club being initiated in Middle School under the guidance of Humanities teacher Carolyn Villanueva, who transferred to Middle School from Collegiate's 4th Grade teaching team last year. Club members designed a 5’ x 10’ acrylic-on-canvas mural last school year and titled it Displaced Not Forgotten to symbolize the messages that Syrian refugee children want to share with the world.

Mrs. Villanueva displayed the artwork in McFall Hall, Collegiate's Middle and Upper School cafeteria, last week in anticipation of students' return to school.

The mural symbolizes the global friendship Collegiate shares with its partner school in Lebanon, The American Community School in Beirut (ACSB), and the Syrian refugee children with whom the students help by providing educational supplies and multimedia learning exchanges, she says.

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