Project Culmination

A group of friends from our club got together and talked about unique words that describe each of us. We each watercolored a ray of sun and wrote our unique word in a unique way in black so it would pop. When all of the rays are united, the sun shines brighter!

College and High school aged students created a collaborative portrait project representing both their unique-ness and connectedness. Students were given sticky notes and sharpies and instructed to draw a self portrait. once their portrait was complete they were instructed to add it to the globe (globe was drawn on large poster boards). The collaborative art pieces are being displayed in our student life office to spread the message of unique and united.

NAHS members were asked to create a work of art that expresses what “Unique & United” means to them. They could use an medium they wanted.

The children created shadows of themselves and speech bubbles depicting how they are each unique. They coloured a giant globe and added themselves to the globe to make it look like they were all holding hands as we are stronger when we all come together.

Participants created a collaborative “Unity Wall” by writing the word “unity” in their ethnic languages, including Maasai, Luhya, Kiswahili, Kikuyu, and other languages represented within the group. The activity connected to the Unique & United theme by showing that although languages and cultures may differ, the meaning of togetherness is shared across communities. As participants discussed and helped each other identify words that were unfamiliar or rarely used, the exercise became a fun exchange of culture, learning, and mutual respect.

Last week, our drop-in centre became more than just a space it became a place where stories, pain, and hope met face to face. We brought together street-connected children and the students we support in school. Different journeys, different realities but for a moment, they shared the same room, the same silence, the same courage to be seen.
The street children poured their truths onto paper. Their drawings spoke of the streets of drugs that steal childhoods, of bodies and minds slowly breaking, of nights filled with fear. As we marked the days leading to the International Day of Street Children under the theme “Protect, Don’t Punish,” they opened up about the weight they carry every day.
They spoke of police brutality. Of being poisoned. Of surviving in environments that were never meant for children. You could feel the heaviness, the honesty, the quiet strength it takes just to endure.
Then came the voices of the school-going children. Softer, but just as powerful. They painted dreams, homes filled with warmth, futures filled with dignity, careers they long to pursue. When asked what life they would choose if given the chance, their answers were filled with hope but also a quiet awareness that not every child gets to choose.
And in the corner, the youngest ones painted animals innocent, curious, gently discovering the world. A small, beautiful reminder of what childhood should feel like.

Each Bay student created at least 2 unique flowers to add to a school wide collaboration of a rainbow mural. Every flower was unique, just like each of our students and together they made a beautiful masterpiece.

This submission is the book of works created by two classrooms of children, one in the Peruvian Andes and one in Southern Appalachia. The book highlights things both places have in common. Each student wrote a short story and drew a picture. Each are translated in Quechua, Spanish, and English.

Learners expressed their own unique characteristic feature, in the style of an artist of their choice, to show how they can make a positive contribution in their surrounds.

These keychains have positive affirmations about basketball so they are the key to achieving sportsmanship through teamwork.

Students wrote poetry with the theme, “This is Me.”

Being unique is the “key” to unity. These positive keychains are a daily reminder of this.

Students participated in the Pin It Forward Challenge, where they decorated clothespin clips with positive, encouraging messages and small designs that reflect their creativity and personality. Each clip is unique, just like the student who creates it, but when students “pin” them onto a classmate’s backpack or lanyard, it becomes a symbol of connection and support. Together, the clips represent how we can celebrate what makes each of us different while staying united as one strong, uplifting community.

Using the Sankofa resource for Black History Month, we read the Story One Bowl, and discussed how food brings us together but also allows us to express our culture in a unique way. We then drew our favorite foods and posted them onto a large One Bowl of our own! Different but united!

The project hit the road after a story exchange session with Enkirrgirr – Unaitas group. There was a debrief connected to the theme of, Unique and united and all the team members agreed that we are all unique in our different ways and no matter who we are, we all matter, we should embrace diversity as there is that uniqueness in each one of us.
Each person placed their hand on a paper, a drawing was made and every person coloured a different hand. Portraying the beauty of diversity, uniqueness of each person and how unity builds strong relationships in communities globally.

We made Kindness Rocks. We collectively used rocks but each student painted a unique design. We are putting these rocks in public spaces on our school grounds and community parks to spark joy among the people who find them. The rocks had uplifting images and messages.

Our entire school came together to celebrate Kindness Week in the most meaningful ways!
From “blooming” flowers filled with acts of kindness, to practicing empathy by walking in another’s shoes…

From filling hearts with words about those who truly see us, to pouring kind messages into classroom “kindness jars”…

Students created PSAs about being unique and united, and lovingly made Valentine’s cards and bookmarks for our local senior center to help strengthen our community bonds.

Kindness isn’t just something we talk about ; it’s something we practice, share, and grow together.

Student art work representing what Unique and United means to our students.

Student art work representing what Unique and United means to our students.

Explore Culture Night featured poster presentations, cultural dishes, music, and dance. This celebration was documented through interviews and photographs. Listening with openness allows an understanding of everyone’s unique and rich history. It is through understanding and accepting everyone’s uniqueness that we can appreciate one another and become united as a community. A “reach goal” for this event was a creation of a collaborative international cookbook, highlighting family recipes shared by our community.

Explore Culture Night featured poster presentations, cultural dishes, music, and dance. This celebration was documented through interviews and photographs. Listening with openness allows an understanding of everyone’s unique and rich history. It is through understanding and accepting everyone’s uniqueness that we can appreciate one another and become united as a community. A “reach goal” for this event was a creation of a collaborative international cookbook, highlighting family recipes shared by our community.

Students created braids inspired by the work of Tejuoso Olanrewaju, Tomo Mori, and Patricia Eschew. These braids were woven, dyed and joined together to symbolize individuality, growth, and collective unity. This collaborative, installation art piece will be assembled and hung at the school.

To kick off the new year back at school, students created beaded stars and attached new years resolution’s to them. Then, we strung them together to make a garland as a daily reminder in display form. The students reflected on how they could make this year better than last year, have self improvement, and most importantly how we could build community.

Students created works to show the theme of unique and united using materials and subject matter of their choice. They selected an artist to research and used them as inspiration to inform their design choices. Then students uploaded finished works to our online gallery with artist statements.

Our 5th grade classes created Identity project that captures what makes them unique. Theme range from things they are passionate about like environmental issues or issues that are important to them, and aspects of their own identities.

Growing Community Project at a Healthy Living Community Event where urban youth drew themselves with a positive affirmation sign. Their person was added to a Community Garden Display and then used for table centerpieces for a RI Healthy Schools Coalition breakfast. The project expressed the uniqueness of each individual and what makes them special. They then added themselves to a display that unites us as a community.

After reading I Am We: A Book of Community, by Susan Verde students explored the idea: how a mural can symbolize their uniqueness and how it can be shared with others. Each student wrote and or drew about how they can share their unique talents to make the Lowe a better school community. Then they shared their stories and created a collaborative school mural. A team of 4th grade students set to design the mural based on the story’s theme: Each (talent is) Unique, but (when shared through working) Together (makes us) Brilliant. K-4th grade students colored the mural adding a star to represent their unique talent. Once it was washed with water color the stars began to shine. Samples of students’ individual work was added to the border of the mural.

The result? A mural where every student could see themselves as #UniqueAndUnited. The mural was cut and sent to other schools around the USA and abroad as part of #TravelingMuralProject. In turn we will receive parts of other schools’ murals and then piece together a new mural representing how each school’s uniqueness, together, can unite us as a global community.

This artwork symbolizes the idea of being Unique and United. The two hands represent individuals from different backgrounds, experiences, and identities — each unique in their own way. At the center, the heart represents love, empathy, and shared humanity that connects us all. Despite our differences, the hands come together to protect and hold what truly unites us: compassion and mutual respect. The artwork reminds us that unity does not mean sameness, but rather coming together with understanding, care, and acceptance.

In this photography activity, 33 youth from the Coffee Ministry and the Kibera community documented what unity and uniqueness look like in their everyday lives. Guided by facilitators, the participants captured 13 images across their neighbourhood that reflect friendship, teamwork, shared spaces, and individual identity. Their work illustrates how young people experience connection and difference within their own community.

Our school held a Multicultural Day Celebration including creating various cultural crafts (maracas, bracelets, henna, Carribean headwear, and Chinese fans to name a few. One highlight is the Unique and United Station which focused on how each state is culturally unique in the United States. Students researched facts about each state to understand demographics and culture. They then decorated each state with an image representing that. Finally, all the state puzzle pieces were connected to show how we are united!

In our library, there is a jar aptly named the “Happy Jar.” Students and staff all know to go to the jar anytime they need a little boost. They may take a card for the moment or forever. Students created positive messages and artwork for each card. Throughout this project, students discussed how everyone needs a boost and what messages they, themselves, would need to hear thus connecting them to ‘strangers’ through their art.

For our arts activity, we created a collection of beaded designs where each participant chose their own colors, patterns, and styles. Our work connects to the “unique and united” theme because every piece was different, yet together they formed one cohesive display that showed how individuality strengthens community. The participants wanted to express that despite our differences, we can come together to create something meaningful and beautiful as a group.

For our arts activity, we created a collection of beaded designs where each participant chose their own colors, patterns, and styles. Our work connects to the “unique and united” theme because every piece was different, yet together they formed one cohesive display that showed how individuality strengthens community. The participants wanted to express that despite our differences, we can come together to create something meaningful and beautiful as a group.

A sports day picture was printed over 35 squares and children were invited to decorate to their liking, thus making that square unique to them. At the end the squares were put together showing the uniqueness of each square but still coming together to to form a cohesive picture.
Another activity was to invite children to design a shoe with someone else in mind. I used the example of Adidas creating shoes for people with down syndrome.

had a large mandala(rangoli) printed over 35 squares. Children were invited to decorate their square according to their likes, thus making that square unique to them. At the end all the squares were combined to form one completed mandala thereby showing the uniqueness of each square but still coming together to unite as 1 large mandala.

In the second phase of our countryside art program, the kids expressed their unique thoughts and identities through handprint artworks filled with vibrant zentangle patterns.

Each child’s handprint was a canvas for personal expression filled with different patterns, colors, symbols, and shapes. Some chose bold lines, others delicate details, playful icons, and repeated calming patterns.

The diversity in these prints highlights the beauty of individuality and how each child’s unique touch strengthens the collective creation.

Indigenous youth from the Arhuaco community in Kutunsama, Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, Colombia, explored their ancestral tradition of creating ceramic ocarinas shaped as local animals. Spiritual leaders explained that these anthropomorphic instruments were crafted to connect with animal spirits, allowing makers to embody their qualities.
The workshop invited students to observe the characteristics of surrounding creatures—the hard working hummingbird, the wise bat, the patient reptile. After viewing photographs of ancient ocarinas, each young participant reflected on which animal qualities they wished to cultivate in themselves. They shared their insights with the group, then sketched their own ocarina designs, bridging ancestral wisdom with personal expression.

Students created a digital art poster sharing why their future STEM career is so exciting, or they created an infographic making a STEM concept easy to understand.

Charles McGee (1924-2021) was one of the last surviving Tuskegee Airmen. His distinguished leadership and military experience during times of war and peace informed his perspective on service, community, and allowing for differences. Here is a direct quote from the artist: “It’s trying to understand the order that holds the world together. When we all work together, we understand more. We tolerate more. We live better lives because we are talking about being moved by togetherness.”

All K-5 students, working with the art teacher, painted a stone that represented themselves in words, colors, and images. The stones were places by the school’s front entrance in a flowing, curving pattern to create a “river of community”.

Students created bowls for our Empty Bowls project to help those in our community who are food insecure. Students worked together as a community to unite around an important cause while making unique expressions of the work that symbolizes the people we are helping through our Empty Bowls project. Each empty bowl represents a person we will help with our project.

Students created “Unique and United” identity collages.

Students read SeedFolks by Paul Fleischman in Language Arts class. After reading this book, students engaged in discussions about how something simple, like a community garden, brought people of all backgrounds together. Students reflected on this and created a written piece that captured a vegetable they would plant in the community garden (focusing on the symbolism of the vegetable and how it connects to their experiences/culture). They shared their writing with each other and put together a display that represents how they are all #uniqueandunited.

Our youth created a series of personal reflections called ‘Color of Me’, where each participant chose a color that represented their identity and emotions for the day. They wrote their responses in their notebooks, sharing what the color said about who they are and what they had learned about being both unique and united. Through these reflections, the group expressed how individuality and togetherness can coexist beautifully within their community.

Each student created an individual piece of artwork that started from a dot on a paper plate that was attached to other classmate’s work to create a large art expression of the color purple.

Guides created individual portraits with a picture of themselves and words/images/symbols that represent different aspects of their lives and personalities. This work connects to the Being Me theme in the Guide program.

As we introduced phase two, the collaborative tree artwork inspired by the Baobab and Mugumo trees acted as an icebreaker as we met kids in the upcountry, helping them understand the beauty of color and coming together, piecing their unique ideas and identities.

The activity highlighted the beauty and importance of personal contributions coming together, showing that even small acts can support and uplift others.

Through this creative process, the children experienced firsthand how diverse ideas, kindness, and collaboration build a resilient, connected, and culturally rooted community, bringing the #ArtMashinani spirit vividly to life.

As we introduced phase two, the collaborative tree artwork inspired by the Baobab and Mugumo trees acted as an icebreaker as we met kids in the upcountry, helping them understand the beauty of color and coming together, piecing their unique ideas and identities.

The activity highlighted the beauty and importance of personal contributions coming together, showing that even small acts can support and uplift others.

Through this creative process, the children experienced firsthand how diverse ideas, kindness, and collaboration build a resilient, connected, and culturally rooted community, bringing the #ArtMashinani spirit vividly to life.

The year 6 girls explored the unique roles we each perform in day to day life and how those might differ from that we feel on the inside. The girls developed this further by identifying areas where they are united in their shared experiences.

I hosted a schoolwide event on campus titled “Tote-ally Thankful,” where students created tote bags together while reflecting on what they were grateful for in their own lives. Our event centered on bringing together students from all grades and interests to share a moment of gratitude.