Deirdre Newman
Pedestrian safety is an issue at all schools. At Eastbluff Elementary
School in Newport Beach, it is now embedded into the school's campus with
a new mural partially designed by students.
The mural, which is on a library wall in the campus quad area,
celebrates pedestrian safety in a colorful way. The school recently
sponsored a student contest and chose eight winners whose poster designs
are incorporated into the mural. It will be officially dedicated
Thursday.
The mural highlights an issue that is a major concern to parents at
the school, said Anne Satterfield, a member of the PTA Health and Safety
Commission.
"We don't have proper crosswalks outside of school, so we have
volunteer teachers help walk kids in the morning and afternoon,"
Satterfield said. "But because there are no lines in the road, it's sort
of scary."
School officials first found out about the contest in December when UC
Irvine officials who work with pedestrian safety contacted them. The
school was eligible to receive the mural as a gift, as long as it
involved a child-generated design.
So Eastbluff created a contest for students to design posters
featuring pedestrian safety. Seven winning posters were chosen from 44
entries. The mural itself depicts six students holding notebooks with
another notebook on the ground. It was designed by Michael Howard,
director of Operation Clean Slate, a Costa Mesa company involved in
campus beautification programs. The winning posters will be displayed in
the notebooks.
The mural is painted in bright colors, enlivening the library's brick
facade. Above the students, a slogan reads: "You otter be safe,"
incorporating the school's mascot. A reminder below the students reads:
"Look both ways and walk with Eastbluff pride."
The 44 students who entered the contest helped Howard paint the mural.
On Friday, sixth-grader Richard DiMarco, 11, worked on the mural's
finishing touches.
Richard's winning poster showed a Lamborghini driving by the school
with the slogan: "You're just as cool walking to school."
Another winner, Corey Cano, 10, drew a picture of a crossing guard
walking a little girl across the street. She said she used to walk to
school every week with her mom a few years ago. The mural has given her a
chance to create a lasting piece of art for the school, she said.
"The mural will be on there forever," Corey said. "I want to be part
of Eastbluff."
The school is also a major supporter of Walk to School Day, which
takes place each fall, and school officials try to promote walking to
school on a regular basis, even if it's just once a week, Satterfield
said.
* IN THE CLASSROOM is a weekly feature in which Daily Pilot education
writer Deirdre Newman visits a campus in the Newport-Mesa area and writes
about her experience.
