Read about the Lokelani Intermediate School Mural!
During the summer of 2017, A new 1300 sq. ft. mural was completed in the front of Lokelani Intermediate School, located at Kihei, Maui, Hawaii.
The community service project was the idea of seventh graders, Lily Oldham and Austin Ruppenthal. With the approval of their Student Council Advisor, Cathy Fitzpatrick and Interim Principal, Francoise Wittenburg, the pair collaborated with local Maui artist, JoNerZ (Jonathan Baldwin) to create a large-scale mural to liven and beautify the front of their school.
The students felt very lucky to be working with Jonerz, and were very appreciative of their teachers and the Kihei Community. Thank you Hue Oldham, Lily's mother for reaching out and inviting me to be a part of the process. The "About" portion of this blog is from Hue's press release.
About the Artist
The artist unique style celebrates the everyday life of sand and surf and elevates it to a level of fine art. How appropriate that he calls his style as “New School Pop Surrealism.” His style mixes a wide eyed female figure with surf art, pop surrealism, street art and a little animation all with influences of the Maui landscape. For more information about the artist go to www.jonerzart.com
About the Mural
The mural depicts the journey of the Lokelani Wave Riders through the changing yet rewarding waters of intermediate school. Lokelani is symbolized by the bright-eyed girl in the ocean, excitedly looking forward to the future of her travelers. The Lokelani flower (meaning Heavenly Rose) rests in her hair as she rests under the stars (symbolizing the guiding lights of the teachers) and the phases of the moon (representing the passing of time and fresh starts).
The Wave Riders begin their journey as a team of young travelers (Double hulled Hawaiian Canoe) as they sail through the three sets of waves (6th, 7th, 8th grades). They emerge on the other side of their adventure as strong and more independent individuals (single hulled canoe) ready for a new journey with the two dolphins as a playful reminder to enjoy the ride!
Lokelani's vision is to enrich the heart, mind and spirit and to meet the unique developmental and learning needs of students. Students participate in a variety of activities such as the Spelling Bee, VEX tournaments, STEM challenges, Math Counts, robotics, band and ukulele concerts, and a variety of mathematics, writing, art and language arts contests. The school has an active Student Council. The goal for Lokelani Intermediate is to continue to maintain a safe and secure campus where respect and kindness are the norm.
