Students From Kaleidoscope! Arts Camp Restore No. 8 Streetcar Path Mural

For many in Catonsville, the on the was a pretty sight to look at on the walk from Frederick Road to Edmondson Avenue.

But in recent years the amount of graffiti on the retaining wall had grown to the point that the mural didn't look so great anymore.

Volunteer Maureen Sweeney Smith used to come out in the summer and try to re-paint it.

"For the last two years it had gotten so bad that I gave up," she said.

Finally, for the past two weeks the mural has been getting a complete overhaul, thanks to the work of some high school students in summer camp.

The students are part of , which is run by Pat LaFon and is held at the Christian Temple on Edmondson Avenue. The camp is in its 13th year and is open to students in third grade or above. The camp runs in two two-week sessions, with the second session starting next week.

Every year the camp is built around a theme and this year's theme was using the arts to motivate good impulses in people. Campers spent time at a nearby nursing home, set up a lemonade stand and worked on the mural as a way to act out that theme.

Representatives from approached LaFon about having older students work on the project. LaFon said she thought it was a great idea.

"It fit really well with our theme," she said.

The students worked for two weeks for several hours in the morning, cleaning some of the graffiti off and painting over the rest.

Casey Radner, a sophomore at Catonsville High School, said at first the project seemed overwhelming but said she was impressed with how quickly the group worked.

"At first, it was kind of crazy, there was so much graffitti," she said. "I thought it was going to take a lot longer."

The following people worked on the mural: Alisha Marchewka, Raychael Norton, Grace Biamonte, Casey Radner, Lydia McCaw, Lizzy Gruber and Adam LaFon.

7-Eleven provided provided food and paid for the paint for the mural. Many residents also donated money to help with the efforts.