Friday, February 7, 2014 NEWS OPINIONS FEATURES IN-DEPTH ENTERTAINMENT SPORTS Page 3

Art club gives back to community with hand-painted benches

By KayLee Flower, reporter

Big slabs of vibrant paint fill the art rooms at Elkhorn High. Here, members of Elkhorn’s new art club are working on a grant to beautify downtown Elkhorn.

Groups of students work on painting slabs of wood that will assemble into park benches. The city of Omaha provided for paint and benches as well as trash cans for the club to work with. Students came up with their own designs based on the styles of famous artists, and then put their own twists on them. Also,

a few of the pieces are community themed with classic Elkhorn symbols. The designs were transferred from smaller drawings before being blown up with document cameras. After they were transferred, members came and filled in the design. “I like art, so painting these is really fun for me,” Annie Wang, freshman, said. One of the benches features a Storm and Antler logo with the Elkhorn water tower in the middle. “It’s been cool being able to do these knowing the community gets to see them,” Steven Scaglione, sophomore, said. In order to protect their acrylic painted benches and trash cans, the art students are coating them in a polyurethane varnish. The art program has been asked to do community service projects in previous years but was unable to because the projects didn’t fit in with the curriculum. A key purpose in creating the art club was so they could take on some of these projects. “The more students we get involved, I think the bigger our club will get. I’m not sure if everyone knows there is an art club so we’re trying to get the word out,” Nicole Lucks, art club sponsor, said. After they are done with this project, art club would like to do others that connect the school and community. Elkhorn residents who would like murals and large projects are welcome

to contact the club. “When we aren’t working on projects,” Lucks said, “we want meetings to be a time for kids to come and do artwork but can’t because their schedules are bogged down with AP classes.”

painting Benches: Art club members paint benches after school at Elkhorn High. The club had hoped to do more community service. “I like art, so painting these is really fun for me” Wang said. Photo by JP Davis

Finishing tOUches: An art club member puts the finishing touches on a bench after school at Elkhorn High. “It’s been cool being able to do these knowing the community gets to see them,” Steven Scaglione, sophomore, said. Photo by Lauren Hanson

KayLee FlowerElkhorn South High School