KIPP students set to produce mural

Students from KIPP Blytheville Collegiate High School have been selected to do a live mural project during the upcoming KIPP School Summit in Las Vegas.

KIPP Blytheville Collegiate, a charter school, was the only one of 200 KIPP schools nationally to be chosen for the honor.

The Arkansas KIPP students worked together, under the direction of art teacher Emily Ellis, to create a mural design, titled More Than Ever. KIPP educators across the country voted on the submitted proposals, and picked the Blytheville school as the national winner.

Students will travel from Arkansas to Las Vegas in late July to spend two days creating a 36-foot mural during the annual gathering of KIPP educators and partners. More than 4,000 attendees will see the work.

More Than Ever centers on a young adult. There is a glimpse of dark scenes to the left, contrasting with brighter scenes to the right to symbolize the struggles and hardships the young adult has experienced in the past. But the young adult points to the right — to the bright and fantastic future that awaits.

The young adult symbolizes anyone, which is why no gender is depicted, according to information provided by KIPP leaders about the artwork. It demonstrates that everyone has faced hardships, but will always have opportunities to create something “more than ever” in the future. Behind the symbolized young adult, images of people from around the world blend with images of the rural Arkansas Delta to demonstrate a coming together of people. Love, peace and hope grow in the fields. The rising sun symbolizes a spirit of optimism rising across the Delta.

KIPP students contributing to the project are Rashad Veasley, Dangelo Lewis, LaCharles Pigee, Greg Robinson, Heavenly Hopper, Everett Tabunaba, Ly Hoang, Detrick Lane and Ashante Currie.