May 27, 2010/Capital Gains
By: Andy Balaskovitz
A group of 180 Michigan State University (MSU) students and prospective teachers showed up at Lansing's REO Elementary School with paintbrushes and tools to give the Southside school a makeover.
On April 23 and 24, the students painted murals and hallways, landscaped and installed fixtures like coat racks and benches.
“They really did make us over. It was cool,” says REO fifth grade teacher, Diane Knapp. “This makes a big difference.”
The student work is part of the “Outreach to Teach” program, and all participants are members of the MSU chapter of the Student Michigan Education Association (SMEA), an organization specifically for prospective teachers.
Though the REO students saw the college students prepare the murals on Friday, Knapp says they were shocked to come to school on Monday and see their school aesthetically transformed. Besides the initial shock, Knapp says the students’ reaction has been nothing but positive.
Some of the upgrades include new plants and landscaping outside, a new sign out front and a whole lot of painting—including the office, book character and rocket (the school’s mascot) murals and a blue racing stripe through the hallways.
“It is much more lively here,” Knapp tells me as we stroll down the hallway.