West Hartford’s Morley Elementary School has a new mural courtesy of a Connecticut-based artist.

By Ronni Newton

Students at West Hartford’s Morley Elementary School traditionally give a gift each year as they graduate, and the gift chosen by the class of 2024 is something that will leave a lasting impact to be enjoyed for years to come.

Local artist Amanda Mendoza was commissioned to paint a mural at Morley – to bring the students’ vision to life – and the PTO raised funds to support the effort. When it was completed, the last week of school, fifth graders “carved” their initials into the bark of the tree, leaving their last mark on the school.

Planning for the mural began in April. “The students and faculty were incredibly excited about the color it brought to this school, and I was so happy to see that teachers were already using the mural as a part of their lesson plans,” Mendoza said.

Elements of the mural include Morley’s six valued character traits illustrated among the leaves: Kindness, Caring, Fairness, Respect, Responsibility, Citizenship.

Mendoza included Morley’s school logo – the blue book on the ground – and it includes the school motto: “Character Builds Community.”

“The leaves with white words lists what words the fifth grade class used to describe their school, such as: loving, welcoming, safe, friendship, community, generous, peaceful, humble, extraordinary, awesome, manners, languages, sportsmanship, credibility, trustworthiness, and focus,” Mendoza said.

“With love, Class of 2024,” states a piece of white “paper” that’s “pinned” to the tree in the mural.

In addition to murals, Mendoza, now a full-time artist, creates paintings and portraits, and does illustrations. “Through the years, I learned that art can do more than decorate a wall; art can make the loneliest person in the room feel seen. My goal is to continue to share my art with the world, no matter how dark or colorful it may be. Art saved me, and I believe it has the power to heal others too. … I am looking forward to creating projects that continue to foster healing, empowerment and building community connections,” she states on her website.

“I absolutely loved the opportunity to bring the fifth-graders’ vision to life, so they can see the impact they made within their school,” Mendoza said.

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