When the St. Benedict Butterflies Girls Club began in June 2008, I went over the various activities that the girls would be participating in. Painting a mural was on the list, and the girls were very excited about painting and couldn’t wait to get started.
We began planning the mural in March. Fellow Peace Corps Volunteer, Cheryl Frances, is an excellent artist and has a background in mural painting. With Miss Cheryl’s help and funding from Kids to Kids, we began the mural project.
The first step was deciding what the mural would include. We spent several sessions discussing and voting. The girls came up with everything from an underwater scene to a wall decorated with various Belizean foods to a jungle scene and kids playing with sports equipment. In the end the St. Benedict Butterflies decided they would like to paint a mural of the Belize National Symbols: the black orchid, tapir, keel billed toucan, and mahogany tree. Over the next few weeks the girls drew pictures and designed various sketches for the mural. Miss Cheryl took the girls’ drawings and combined them into three different pictures. The girls voted and chose the design they liked best. Of course there were a few changes, and the girls were excited to begin.
The next step was practicing how to paint; how much paint goes on the brush, staying within the lines, taking your time, not mixing paint, etc. The girls did an excellent job painting and they were eager to begin painting the wall. Miss Cheryl did a great job of explaining the steps of painting a mural. She talked about the process and our plan.
Finally the girls were going to get to paint on the wall. We would paint the mural on the new kitchen building. We started with primer, and even got a little help from DeSmet High School. Then we put on the base coat. The girls were getting more and more excited. We did our best to keep paint off of the sidewalk and off school uniforms, but by the time we finished with the base coat, we had paint every where.
The girls were so excited the day Miss Cheryl came to sketch the picture on the wall. That afternoon, we began painting the grass. Each day a few girls would paint various parts of the mural. The girls did an excellent job painting. I would assist with shading and outlining, but for the most part it was their project.
The plan was to finish up the mural during the first few weeks of the summer holiday break. Unfortunately, due to my injury and an early departure date we had to finish the mural in two days. I was committed to seeing this project finish, and thankfully I had some good friends who were ready to help. With a little help from some fellow Peace Corps Volunteers, Jesuit Volunteers, and Missionaries, we were able to finish the mural. The St. Benedict Butterflies met one last time on Friday, July 3. We played games, had snacks, made bracelets, painted, and said goodbye.
I am so happy with the way that the mural turned out, and I know the St. Benedict Butterflies are too. The mural project was so much fun, and I am so glad that I was able to see it through to the end. The girls have something at St. Benedict that they designed and painted. The mural gives them ownership of the school and something to be proud of.
Thank you so much to the Kids to Kids Organization, DeSmet, Miss Cheryl, Mike, Dov, Sussanah, Emily, Patrick, Karey, Jan, Pat, Miss Olive, and John. Words cannot describe how grateful I am for your willingness to help. I couldn’t have done it without you! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!
I have truly enjoyed my work with the St. Benedict Butterflies, and I will miss them dearly. They have been such an important part of my Peace Corps Service. I look forward seeing each of them in the future, and I hope that they have enjoyed being a part of the St. Benedict Butterflies and learned more about themselves, each other, and their community. I know I have.
What a beautiful way to finish this project--what a gift to the school and especially to all the girls!!! You are a blessing and you are loved--GiGi & Bill
Posted by: Aletha Anderson | July 21, 2009 at 12:51 PM
The mural looks awesome!!! Congratulations for a job well done by the St. Benedict's RC Butterflies. I hope to see it in person when we return to St. Benedicts the next time our De Smet guys are in Punta Gorda (hopefully, May 2010!!!)
Posted by: Don Albert | July 23, 2009 at 01:07 PM