MALVERN, PA — Great Valley High School senior Grace Lawrence has transformed student ideas about kindness and belonging into a large-scale mural at the Great Valley 5/6 Center, completing the installation as her National Honor Society service project.
Lawrence began developing the project in December, asking students what they wanted represented on the school’s walls before sketching the design. Their responses became the basis for scenes depicting teamwork, friendship and people helping one another.
“The students wanted to see kindness reflected in the artwork, so the scenes show teamwork, friendship, and people helping one another,” Lawrence said. “They also wanted everyone to feel represented, so I made sure the mural reflects diversity and inclusion.”
Lawrence chose the 5/6 Center because she wanted her service project to benefit one of the Great Valley School District’s newer schools, despite never attending the building herself.
After completing the design last spring, Lawrence began painting during the summer. The project also required her to work with a medium she had limited experience using.
“One of the most difficult parts of the project was the technical work, since it was only my second time working with acrylic,” Lawrence said.
The mural was installed in early September. Lawrence later attended the school’s Back to School Night, where she discussed the project with students and families and explained how student suggestions influenced the finished work.
She said one of the strongest reactions came outside the formal presentation, when she overheard students discussing the mural in the hallway.
“I wanted every student who walks past it to see themselves in it and feel like they belong,” Lawrence said.
The project fulfilled Lawrence’s National Honor Society service requirement. The organization’s members complete service projects intended to benefit their schools or communities.
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