POBJFKHS Student-Artists Put the ‘Art’ in Heart

Two Plainview-Old Bethpage John F. Kennedy High School students are using their love of art to spread joy throughout the Plainview-Old Bethpage Central School District by painting Kindness Murals in the District’s elementary schools. Student artists Jillian Zhang and Emily Chen are leading this effort through their student-run volunteer group, the heART Initiative. Their latest mural was completed just before the start of the 2024-2025 school year at Pasadena Elementary School.

Jillian and Emily began their efforts in 2022, when they painted a window mural at Stratford Road Elementary Schoolwith the support of the PTA. "As former students of Stratford Road, we were more than grateful to have the opportunity to give back to our school community," they said.

Since then, the initiative has grown. Jillian and Emily, along with heART Initiative vice presidents Chloe Lee and Allyson Lee and a group of student volunteers, have created three additional Kindness Murals: another two at Stratford Road and their most recent one at Pasadena. Other volunteers in the group include Sierra Weiss, Laura Zhang, Lily Fu, Evelyn Lee, Rebekah Meyers, Vandita Singh, and Jasmine Ni.

Through their work, heART Initiative members spread happiness and bring smiles to the faces of their younger peers. Their work is ongoing, with plans to paint another mural in the Stratford Road cafeteria in the coming months.

For more information about the Plainview-Old Bethpage Central School District, please visit the District’s website at www.pobschools.org. Exciting activities happening throughout the District and programs celebrating student achievement can also be found on the District’s Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/pobschools/.