Millsboro Middle students take to the walls

Millsboro Middle School students recently learned to make their mark – on the school's walls.

Students, staff and faculty were invited to paint their own additions to a mural that shows the spines of hundreds of books. Each participant was asked to illustrate the school-wide motto, CARE, which stands for character, achievement, respect and enthusiasm.

Art teacher Megan Lynch said classrooms rules and expectations are based on the CARE motto. Her classroom became ground-central for more than 650 artists in the middle school to make their mark.

Every teacher, student and parent was welcomed into the school to participate in the mural, illustrating what the motto means to them and making their mark before winter break.

Ocean View artist John Donato has been running these collaborative mural projects in schools throughout Sussex County since 2013, helping middle schools decide on a theme for library-style murals based on a meaningful motto or value and arranging for every member of the school community to participate.

Millsboro Middle is the fourth school in Sussex County to participate in the program, which was sponsored by the Joshua M. Freeman Foundation to promote art and community within schools.

Donato said he designed the team-building project to require 100 percent participation and focus on educational goals at each school to create a storyboard kind of art.

"Everyone does one little book and there's this one little thing they do that is part of a bigger picture," Donato said. "And they realize, my little piece has a real role."

Part of his instruction is for the students to think of the murals a sort of social contract, making them accountable as to one another as they illustrate what the motto means to them.

"When you model that care and respect and enthusiasm it makes a monstrous impact as a whole community," Donato said.

Agriculture teacher Susan Mitchell said the project gave students an opportunity to be creative and have some fun before the break.

"It's a success story for students," Mitchell said. "When everything is so rigorous, it is nice to give them a little freedom."

Representatives from Joshua M. Freeman Foundation announced plans to add these murals to every middle school in Sussex County by 2016.

For more information about John Donato, artist, visit www.artsmack.com.