A mural designed and created by this year’s Summer Youth Employment Program students has been completed at Newtown High School.

The mural was completed by the end of the program’s six-week term. The program, which is provided by a grant through the Northwest Regional Workforce Investment Board based in Waterbury, offers students who apply 20 hours of work a week for six weeks throughout the summer.

NHS teacher Janice Gabriel was the program’s supervisor this year and the mural was completed under the guidance of Connecticut certified teaching artist Debora Aldo. NHS art teacher Carol Skolas also worked with students on the project.

Another mural, which was planned for a wall next to the new mural, was also designed but not started by the end of the program.

“I am just so incredibly proud of the work that the students accomplished,” Ms Gabriel said on Monday, August 17. “They really put their hearts and souls into this project and ended up with a beautiful masterpiece. I hope that the school community appreciates their hard work as much as I do. I can’t wait to see what the future holds for this program.”

Along with the mural, the students also completed a number of projects throughout the summer, including researching plant choices and placing them in a number of areas, and landscaping. Students also planted different varieties of hostas and Solomon’s Seal near the wall the mural is painted on outside of the school’s cafeteria.