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Source: The Times of Trenton, Monday, October 25, 2004
By Kelly Meisberger
It takes a village
Children's artwork brings splash of color to Plainsboro town center construction site
PLAINSBORO- Motorists traveling along Schalks Crossing Road will get a picture-perfect view of the Plainsboro Village Center construction site.
The view is not of large trucks or piles of building material; it is the artwork of the community's children who have painted a mural of Plainsboro through the seasons on the safety wall that surrounds the center's construction site.
First-, second- and third-grade students from Wicoff Elementary School, fourth- and fifth- graders from Millstone River School, and other community members painted flowers, produce stands and animals to signify their hometown.
Township spokeswoman Susan Abbey said that Sharbell Development Corp., which is building the Village Center project, decided to "do something fun with the blank surface." She said Sharbell provided the painting supplies, hired an artist to work with the children, and reached out to the community, receiving the help of Boy Scout troops on Saturday and the students yesterday.
"The wall has been up since the start of the construction for safety purposes, and it looked awfully stark," said Tom Troy, senior vice president of Sharbell. "We came up with this."
Supervising the children were Linda Oliver, an art teacher at both Wicoff and Millstone River schools and Lisa Kaler, the artist hired by Sharbell.
Kaler spent the morning covered in paint, mixing supplies for a never-ending line of students asking for different colors. Before the students arrived, she drew vague outlines of figures on the wall, on which the children could elaborate.
"They're just prompts for the kids, not so much so they look at it as a coloring book, but that they can use it as a launching pad to do what they want with it," Kaler said. "I never said, 'Don't paint outside the lines.'"
Kaler said it is a great experience for students to get out of the classroom and do something large-scale. The youngsters get excited about art and that improves their academics, she said.
"In the cities, in depressed areas, there's all this blank space that could be embellished by kids," she said. "It just doesn't happen because there's lack of interest and effort. When it does happen, it's magic."
Students and parents agreed. "It's really cool," Sara Rosenthal, a fifth-grader, said while perfecting a flower. "It's a good thing to do because we're doing something for the town."
Fifth-grader Olivia Donaldson said the mural allowed students of different ages to work together. "It's something everybody can enjoy," she said.
Thea Burke, a co-president of the PTA, attended the event with her son David, a fifth-grader, and daughter Claire, a first-grader.
"Growing up in Los Angeles, I never had this sense of community," Burke said. "There are 5-year olds working with 10- and 11-year olds to accomplish something beautiful."
Wicoff Principal Michael Welborn said, "It's so beautiful. When I got here, I couldn't believe it. Parents are always at the shopping center across the street, and it's a great thing for the kids to be able to say, 'I did that. That one's mine.'"
Mayor Peter Cantu also took part, painting the top of a tree students could not reach.
"What's better than getting paint all over yourself?" he laughed. "It's great to see young children i
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