According to Samuel Roman, principal of Luis Muñoz Marín Dual Language Academy in Cleveland, Ohio, creativity takes courage. When more than 40 local PPG employees converged on the school for a COLORFUL COMMUNITIES® project, both courage and creativity came to life through fresh colors and lively murals.
‘Creativity takes courage:’ COLORFUL COMMUNITIES project transforms Ohio school
Roman shared that prior to the project the school was showing its age. His hope was that new colors would bring new life to its much-loved learning spaces. He also wanted to welcome students with reinvigorated surroundings as they returned to their classrooms following more than a year of remote learning.
Many of the students who attend Luis Muñoz Marín are English-language learners of Puerto Rican descent. Colors inspired by tropical themes and that create a happy, hopeful environment were a priority for Roman. Recognizing Hispanic/Latinx Heritage Month, celebrated from September 15 to October 15, 2021, PPG color expert, Rosa Colucci, helped to select vibrant colors to not only resonate with students’ cultures, but also to promote positive learning experiences, such as Tropical Splash, a blue-green shade reminiscent of the beaches in Puerto Rico.
Colucci indicated the color palette for the school was chosen to promote energy, wellness and creativity. Using color and design principles outlined in PPG’s Education Color Trends Forecast, Colucci selected colors that soften hard surfaces, identify end hallway areas and liven up classrooms, while injecting a punch of school pride.
For the project, PPG teamed up with Heart of America, an education equity nonprofit organization that transforms spaces in under-resourced schools and community centers. Through the partnership, PPG and Heart of America transformed the entire school to create spaces where the students can learn, grow and thrive. In addition to painting, volunteers assembled tables and benches for a new outdoor classroom and provided Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) learning kits to support students in fourth to eighth grade. STEM is a new focus for the school.
“Across the county, our school infrastructure is extremely outdated. It is essential for us to transform learning spaces with partners like PPG,” said Jill Heath, president and CEO of Heart of America. “Just imagine as the kids come back to their classrooms following COVID-19 remote learning. They’ll open the doors to all new colors that are essential to inspire creativity in their everyday lives, and especially in their learning.”
“Color has the ability to inspire us to think creatively, to calm us or to excite us,” continued Heath. “The colors chosen for this project are in a cool palette to enable students and educators to better focus in the classroom.”
Learn more about the project and see how the new colors reinvigorated the school in the video below.