By GRACE ORR
On November 21, Bellefonte High art class students continued the tradition of spreading holiday spirit in downtown Bellefonte. They prepared their buckets of art supplies and got ready to paint holiday scenes throughout the windows of Bellefonte.
Students were assigned different businesses throughout Bellefonte like State Farm, YMCA, Bellefonte Wok, and many others, and painted their windows for the holidays. Art teachers Mrs. Heather McClure and Mrs. Erin Welsh, along with substitute English teacher Mrs. Kathleen Buchanan took students from their Senior Institute, Advanced Ceramics, and 2D art classes to paint.
Senior Makena Lake painted the windows of the Bellefonte Wok. Makena and her group painted a winter scene with a log cabin.
“My favorite part of the day was talking to people I don’t normally talk to. Also, painting is just fun, so I really enjoyed the day,” she said.
Students started with a rough draft based on what the business requested. Then with their idea, students used a dry-erase marker on the windows to help them outline their drawings before painting on the windows. The designs were unique and some were freehanded paintings; showcasing these students’ talents.
Senior Josie Underwood was happy to give back to her community by painting a Christmas scene on the windows of Brockhoff House. Her group painted a train full of presents with a snowman.
“My favorite part of the day was getting to see the finished result of my group’s painting. It was a good experience and I liked painting the Christmas design because I saw how happy it made the people in the Brockerhoff House,” Josie said.
This is a great opportunity for art students to get out of school for the day to participate in a community service project to benefit our town for the holiday season. This project also helps students get more involved and contribute to their community.
Mrs. McClure is a driving force behind this day. One thing she does is call each business to set up everything each year. She loves that Mrs. Welsh and her can keep this tradition alive.
“My favorite part of the day was seeing all the unique designs the students came up with. I also like seeing the students work with different businesses around Bellefonte,” Mrs. McClure said.
