WES Kids Make Art for Community
Have you seen colorful traffic safety signs displayed on lawns throughout South Media and other parts of the Wallingford Elementary School (WES) community?
Twenty-six WES students, all residents of South Media, conceived of, designed, and created the signs during the fall term of the SMArt (South Media Art) program, under the direction of teaching artist Emily MacDonald, and supported by volunteers from the WES staff and community. The students hope the signs will remind people to drive safely in their neighborhoods.
Previous SMArt projects include benches and a sign for Sapovits Park, banners for the children’s section of the Helen Kate Furness Free Library, and a collage mural that runs the length of the music room hallway at WES.
The SMArt program is a collaboration between the Community Arts Center, the South Media Fire Company (which hosts it), and Wallingford Elementary School. It is coordinated by retired WES principal Dr. Ellen Milgrim.
Sisters Maxine (5th grade) and Maia (kindergarten) McKinney with the sign they designed for their grandmother’s house. Photo: Regina Jacobs
Leah Reece (5th grade) and Seraphina Stiteler-Campbell (3rd grade) hold their “Please Slow Down” turtle sign before installing it. Photo: Ellen Milgrim
5th grader Maia Williams with her sign. Photo: Melva Williams
