2nd-graders bridge city border for Valentine’s art project
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It was the beginning of a beautiful friendship.
Though Whittier and Mariners elementary schools are less than three miles from each other, their second-graders got together for the first time Tuesday morning.
Whittier, in Costa Mesa, hosted students, teachers and parent volunteers from Mariners, in Newport Beach, for a joint art project for the upcoming Valentine’s Day.
More than 200 students sat shoulder to shoulder in Whittier’s multipurpose room as they worked on their art pieces.
As they continue their education, the students at both schools eventually will move on to Ensign Intermediate School in Newport Beach.
“We’re always thinking about ways we can make students comfortable and prepared for when they get [to Ensign],” Whittier Principal Scott Wilcox said. “So this is a way for the students to establish friendships before they get there.”
Lisa Albert, who teaches art at Mariners and other campuses in the Newport-Mesa Unified School District, led the project Tuesday.
Each second-grader was given a black transparency and etched different patterns onto it with Albert’s instruction.
The teachers had the students sit by children they didn’t know.
Whittier student Andre Raiford introduced himself to Mariners student Delaney Doyle across the table.
Delaney said it was exciting to meet other students and that she made a new friend Tuesday.
As the kids finished their designs, Albert instructed them to trace the last piece onto their transparencies – a big heart at the center.
“It’s such a diverse group of kids who are all in the same district,” Albert said. “We hope to build a relationship between them, and what better way to bring people together than with art?”
