Mural Painted At Oakwood Road School In South Huntington District

HUNTINGTON, NY — The colorful wings of a butterfly now grace the wall outside the main office at Oakwood Primary School.

The beautiful interactive mural, opposite the gym, is the work of Walt Whitman students who are members of the National Art Honor Society (NAHS), the South Huntington School District announced.

The butterfly wings are spread so that young students can stand between them for photos. The goal of the mural is to remind students to "spread kindness," which is also the message painted above the wings.

The primary students also learned a lesson in patience, as they had to wait for the official unveiling before they could see what was going up on the wall, because the project was covered during school hours. It was finally unveiled for the school to enjoy on Feb. 17 after being proudly signed by the 2022-23 executive officers of the Walt Whitman National Art Honor Society chapter.

Oakwood administrators thought of the idea of a kindness mural with butterfly wings in March 2022. Once the Whitman Art Honor Society was told about the project, they knew they wanted to work on it.

The initial design was created by then-chapter president Lila Freire. She graduated from Whitman and went off to college before the painting of the mural began, but this year’s NAHS members used her artwork, which she titled "The Sky’s the Limit," as their reference.

The school district thanked NAHS members Shelly Chen, Elana Denis, Emily Lewin, Paige MacPherson, Maryam Malik, Andrew Noonan, Victoria Pascrell, Sophie Ross, and Gianna Vozza for their artistry.

"Since the unveiling, plenty of beaming Oakwood faces have been snapped in photos spreading smiles and kindness," the district wrote.

For more than 40 years, the National Art Honor Society has provided programs that recognize the work of students outstanding in the visual arts, and offers opportunities for them including college scholarship and art exhibits. It also highlights and advances the work of art teachers.