At Lafayette Elementary, the question wasn’t simply “What should this mural look like?” It was something deeper. What brings you to life? What does that feeling look like when you put it on paper?
Local artist Shauna Yorty has been selected as part of the Neighborhood Art Project, a citywide initiative designed to bring public art into Lancaster’s neighborhoods and center the voices of the people who live there. Her next canvas will be Rodney Park, but the vision behind it is already taking shape inside our classrooms.
Working alongside art teacher Wesley Blymire, students are exploring how to translate emotion into visual expression. Not literal drawings of moments, but the feeling behind them. A student who loves football might not draw a field or a ball, but instead use bold, energetic lines to represent movement and excitement. Another might use soft colors and flowing shapes to capture a sense of peace or connection. Shauna is guiding them through a process that asks them to think differently about art and about themselves. Every student is contributing and building toward something larger than any one idea.
For Mr. Blymire, this is what makes the experience so meaningful. Students at Lafayette are already familiar with murals. They see them in their school and in their community. But this project expands that understanding. It invites them into the process, not just as participants, but as collaborators.
It’s work that asks a lot of young learners. It asks them to reflect, to think abstractly, and to put words and images to emotions that are not always easy to name. But it also gives them something just as meaningful in return. A sense of ownership. A sense of belonging. A chance to say, “I helped create that.”
When the mural is complete, students will be able to stand in front of it and recognize a part of themselves.
“This is about helping students see themselves as part of something bigger,” Blymire shared. “I want them to look at the final piece and recognize a part of their own idea in it.”
That same sense of connection is at the heart of Yorty’s approach. Through conversations with students, she is guiding them to identify the moments in their lives that ground them and give them strength. The moments they can return to when things feel difficult. Those reflections become the foundation of the mural’s story. Not a single narrative, but a collection of lived experiences layered together. Those moments will become the foundation of the mural.
“It’s powerful to see how clearly students know themselves when you give them the space to reflect, when we know what brings us to life, we can return to those things when we need them most,” she shared during her visit. “These are big conversations, and they’re meeting them with honesty and creativity. And when we share that with others, we start to understand each other in deeper way”
The project doesn’t stop in the classroom. Yorty will continue working with students to develop concepts and designs. On April 18, families and community members were invited to join a public workshop at Rodney Park, where ideas will expand beyond the school and into the neighborhood.
Every sketch, every concept, every contribution matters. All submitted designs will be featured this June at the Lancaster Amtrak Station, offering a glimpse into the creative process behind the final mural. From there, Yorty will bring those ideas together into one cohesive design, with installation planned for July and a community unveiling to follow in August.
This is what it looks like when art becomes a shared experience. When students, families, and neighbors come together not just to create something beautiful, but to tell a story about who they are.
In the School District of Lancaster, we believe that learning is strongest when it reflects the voices and experiences of our community. Projects like this bring that belief to life by giving students the opportunity to express themselves, collaborate with others, and see their ideas take shape in the world around them.
And soon, at Rodney Park, those ideas will be visible for everyone to see.
