Anoka students leave their mark on the city, inspiring growth and kindness
(5/23/21) Students participating in youth service programs at Anoka High School (AHS) and Anoka Middle School for the Arts (AMSA) were recently able to collaborate with the City of Anoka to literally paint a picture of what being part of a vibrant community means to them.
The work started earlier this spring when youth service club members participating in distance learning were seeking ways to contribute to the local community, safely amidst a pandemic, by working outdoors. The high school students were able to bring beauty and inspiration to a local landmark, while mentoring and instilling a passion for service with the middle school students that they partnered with.
Nickie Jenks, Recreation Manager with the city of Anoka, reached out to Anoka-Hennepin Community Education to initiate a partnership with students in the community, inviting them to leave a mark of inspiration on the city – on a wall surrounding the pool deck at the Anoka Aquatic Center. The youth service coordinator at Anoka High School, Kelly Grew, introduced the youth service leaders from AHS to students interested in service at AMSA, and the group began studying, researching and planning the purpose of the mural over the course of six weeks.
Nichole Jacquez and Claire Tembreull, juniors at AHS led the student portion of the work – which started with developing a design. “We wanted to create an image that showed what the community looked like, and give the space a pop of color,” Tembreull said.
“We decided to focus on the four seasons, since we were working outdoors. Each high school student working on the project led their own season, and we were paired with a small group of middle schoolers,” Jacquez explained. “It was really great, we don’t get many chances to collaborate with the middle school and it was really interesting to work with them – kind of like a ‘blast from the past.’”
Each season in the mural illustrates trees changing and growing through the seasons and famous quotes inspiring kindness. Grew said that the high school students were able to develop meaningful leadership skills while mentoring the younger students.
“It seemed like each season really fit the students that were painting it,” Tembreull said, “And it was really fun to meet, become friends and connect more with them.”
Learn more about youth service programs in the Anoka-Hennepin School District: ahschools.us/youthservice.