Edgemere Elementary School was named the elementary school winner in the 2022
Wyland National Art and Classroom Mural Challenge.
As a prize, the school will receive $250 gift card in art supplies from Blick Art Materials.
The 50-foot-long, award-winning mural at Edgemere Elementary was created by about 20 students in Grades 4 and 5, under the leadership of art teacher Gregory Flach.
The mural depicts a tropical coral
reef and is painted in the style of artist and conservationist Robert Wyland.
“When my principal asked me in August if I wanted to participate in this challenge, I couldn’t say ‘yes’
fast enough,” said Flach.
“I’ve wanted to do a mural for the past 29 years. Students worked on the mural
during a special gifted and talented art class on Friday afternoons once or twice per month from September through November. They each researched an animal and learned how to scale up their images from a printout. I’m super proud of the job my students did. They are as excited as I am to be recognized.”
According to the Wyland Foundation website, the art challenge encourages students “to think about the many conservation issues we face around the world and interpret them through art.”
By participating, the foundation says, students “come away with a greater understanding of their role as future
caretakers of our water resources.”
