Owls Forever Mural: The Class of 2021 Leaves their Legacy

[keep scrolling after the article to see pictures of the mural]

It is a tradition at The Orchard School that when a class graduates from eighth grade, they leave behind a legacy gift to honor the school that has given so much to them. The effort is parent-led and usually results in the purchase of needed equipment that future Orchard Owls can enjoy.
 
The Class of 2021 grade-level parents Alyce Cuellar Edwards, Tiffany Turner, Kerry Greenlee, and Nicole Keller considered raising money for a walking desk or an outdoor movie screen but didn’t want the gift to be something that would only be used occasionally, just gathering dust otherwise. 
 
The Class of 2021 challenged parents to contribute a total of $2,021 for the class legacy gift. If the goal was reached, eighth graders would get to inspire generations of owls to not just fly but soar by painting an owl wings mural on the concession stand wall. Three families generously agreed to match once the initial $2,021 goal was achieved as fundraising motivation. Thank you, Alyce Cuellar Edwards and LG Edwards, Tag and Marta Birge, and Kristin and Mark Edwards!
 
Grade-level parent Tiffany Turner came up with the idea of the mural after reading about the Chalker family’s legacy in building the Cabin. She wanted the Class of 2021 gift to include  something tangible that alumni could come back and visit and that would be there for generations to come (and would always be accessible, even when the school is closed). As concession stand manager, Turner had been looking for ways to spruce up the area around the stand to draw in customers and make it more welcoming for visiting schools’ students, who she hopes will post their owl wings photos on social media. “It’s a win-win!” she said. 
 
Turner also drew inspiration from the “Cover Your Beaks and Spread Your Wings” slogan being used in Early Childhood and Elementary School classes to encourage friends to wear their masks and not let the fear of the pandemic stifle their growth and creativity. “How cool is it that the whole Chalker family, three generations, can come back to Orchard and see that what they’ve contributed is still being enjoyed by students today? That’s really neat,” Turner said. “I wanted that for our kids."

- 74 Donors
- $12,309 raised
- 96% parent participation
- 2 eighth-grade parent-artists who planned a painted the project

Use the hashtag #owlsforevermural when you post on social media.
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