
For 3 days and over 40 man hours, the students of the Junior Art League worked together to help complete a large mural at Kensington Elementary School before classes begin. The mural of the Kensington Knight mascot befriending a Chinese Dragon was designed to bring further awareness to the For 3 days and over 40 man hours, the students of the Junior Art League worked together to help complete a large mural at Kensington Elementary School before classes begin. The mural of the Kensington Knight mascot befriending a Chinese Dragon was designed to bring further awareness to the mandarin emersion program at Kensington Elementary. The mural fills the wall of the main hall between the front office and the media center, and it has already caught the eye of teachers and school staff as they are preparing for the new school year.
With paint brush in hand, Anna Viele, a member of the Junior Art League described her experience working on the mural, “I liked helping with the mural because it was something new and exciting to be part of painting on a bigger surface.”
Zoe Richardson was also an integral part of the painting process. Now in high school, Zoe graduated from the mandarin emersion program at Kensington Elementary. She painted the mandarin characters on the mural that represented a popular Chinese proverb from Confucius that says, “Never tire of learning, never become weary of teaching.” As a member of the Junior Art League for several years, Zoe says, “I like how every JAL meeting is different, but it’s still fun, and you can explore what you are good at and can improve on.”
Bonnie Wood, founder of the Junior Art League summed up the mural painting experience as just another way the non-profit group empowers its students to share their artistic talents with the public. She said, “You can witness the excitement and confidence that grows within each teen as they participate in each community project!” Hopefully that same excitement will be conveyed by the mural to the students at Kensington Elementary as they begin their new school year.
For more information on the Junior Art League, you can visit their website at www.juniorartleague.org.





