Machen Elementary School adds murals to their outdoor classroom through a Hampton Commission of the Arts grant

A dream became a reality when teacher Gineff McKinney, Title 1 reading interventionist at Machen Elementary School, received a school initiative grant from the Hampton Commission of the Arts. The grant was used to create practical outdoor art pieces that address science Standards of Learning for grades kindergarten through five.

The project was truly a community effort as New Covenant Church with Pastor Jay Bowen, Morgan and Kim Doherty, Miryam Johnson, and Langley Air Force Base technical sergeant Nathaniel Hedgecock all participated in making the dream become a reality. Current and former students also assisted with painting the shed, walls, and cleaning the courtyard area. The school’s custodian Joel Ratliff even spent his lunch hour working on the project with his daughters.

Two Hampton City Schools art teachers also generously donated their time to help create the murals. A special thanks goes to Deborah Taylor of Armstrong School for the Arts and Michelle Branch of Mary T. Christian Elementary School.

“Their generous contributions of time and talent in assisting my dream in becoming reality over the course of 8 to 10 hour days in temperatures over 90 degrees exemplifies what the HCS motto of Every Child, Every Day, Whatever it Takes,” said McKinney. “After the three of us completed the final touches, we looked around the space that had been revitalized and called it the Machen Garden of Scientific Delights.”

McKinney said a special thanks goes to Marye Werling, current principal, Andrea Darden assistant principal, Cassandra Murray, school secretary, Tammy Hill, school base worker, and former principal Jennifer Humble.

They plan to unveil the murals to parents and the community on September 26, 2022, from 5:00 to 6:30 p.m.