Thursday, March 11, 2010

Washington Middle School Mural

John Hina of the 808 Urban helped seven students at Washington Middle School create a mural on the wall between the school and a Zippy's restaurant. The mural, focusing on past, present and future, represents the diversity of the school's students and staff.

12 comments:

Erick said...

John is so talented, he is creative. Great work!

jalna said...

I agree, and what's great is he's so into mentoring kids.

Randism said...

wow; sounds like a fantastic guy!

nice shots!

jalna said...

Rand, he is.

Betty Townsend said...

Great pictures, fantastic work!

jalna said...

Thanks Betty!

bkpr1 said...

...OUTSTANDING! - BHIVER's dad in Seattle

jalna said...

Vince, it's an awesome mural!

bkpr1 said...

Hey Jalna...Mr Hina & 808 are doing a fantastic job with these young artists. Next time you see him...convey my admiration!

...have a great weekend!

bkeeper

jalna said...

I sure will, Vince!

Prime said...

Aloha Kakou. Mahalo for the compliments on the mural. Aloha to Bkeeper. Always good to hear from you.

We partnered with TIFFE(The Institute for Family Enrichment) on this mural. Their clients(kids) are considered the worst of the population and so TIFFE intervenes as a last resort for them to transition back to the general population.

I recently followed up with the counselor to find that one our girls is back on track with her grades and was released from the program. In fact, all of the kids have shown significant changes in their attitudes in school. The "process" of this mural is what positively attributed to these kid's current success.True change is long term..I still stay on these kids to make sure the don't slip.

The kids developed the whole concept and did the research..or so we thought! Turns out, the initial flag we painted for Vietnam represented the old and that upset the community. They were gracious enough to give us documentation of the meaning behind the old and new flags. The kids were amazed how fast the art drew a reaction from the Vietnamese community. The principal had to make a public apology on Vietnamese TV about the misunderstanding. This example will always be etched in their minds as to the true power of art on a wall.

Sorry so long, but there just so many wonderful experiences to share. Akua Bless

jalna said...

Hi John. It's so nice to hear from you again. The far-reaching impact of your murals always amazes me. I so admire your unfailing commitment and devotion to the kids and to the betterment of our communities. Despite the initial error regarding the flag and its resultant negative reaction, I'm sure the lessons learned through this experience will prove to be a positive memory for all those involved.