Characters from “Charlotte's Web” and “Harry Potter” sit next to Roberto Clemente and the Baldwin-Whitehall Fighting Highlander under the Pittsburgh skyline as a 73-foot mural at Whitehall Elementary morphs literacy and reality together.
Second- to fifth-graders at Whitehall Elementary headed back to the classroom Monday will be greeted by a new mural lining one of the main hallways of the school. It was completed last week by artists at Painting with a Twist's Mt. Lebanon location.
“It's so much bigger and grander than we ever thought and connecting the reading to it just makes it that much more magnificent,” Principal Jennifer Marsteller said.
Painting with a Twist, founded in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina as a way to relax, has completed six murals in Pittsburgh-area schools through its Mt. Lebanon and Robinson locations, said James Orlando, owner of the two branches.
Assistant Principal Anissa Rosenwald at Whitehall Elementary said she learned of a mural they had completed at another school and wanted one for Baldwin-Whitehall as a permanent gift for the students.
The principals selected characters from books the students will read during their time at Whitehall, as well as popular books, such as “Harry Potter,” they likely will read when they get older.
“We have a huge focus on reading. The literary characters were very important to us,” Rosenwald said. “Maybe this will be the piece that hooks them into that next book.”
Whitehall Elementary was initially built as a junior high school. For the last several years, Marsteller and Rosenwald have tried to turn the space into something the younger students will feel more comfortable in. That includes painting the white walls purple, green, orange and yellow and hanging decorations.
“We find that a lot of our spaces aren't conducive to our little guys,” Rosenwald said.
“The lockers upstairs are really big. That can be challenging for the little ones. So making it more elementary has been a big push.”
The mural is the next step in that venture.
“They're going to be completely blown away and just overwhelmed and excited about this,” Rosenwald said. “I think it's going to really help tie in the importance of the arts with literacy.”
Stephanie Hacke is a Tribune-Review staff writer. Reach her at 412-388-5818 or shacke@tribweb.com.
