West Des Moines Community Schools (WDMCS) officially unveiled a new, student-driven mural with a reception on Tuesday, Sept. 6, 2022, at Valley High School. Inspired by Valley student group Refugee and Immigrant Student Embassy (RISE) and brought to life by artist Jill Wells, the 18-by-13-foot mural serves to “advocate for the refugee and immigrant student population at Valley High School.”
“(RISE’s) mission is that we seek to carve out a special, everlasting place for VHS immigrant and refugee students,” said Valley senior and founding member of RISE Mayada Alwan. “This mural is a step forward to transforming Valley High School to a better, more culturally responsive environment that is reflective of all of its students.”
The RISE student group ensures Valley is welcoming to all students by matching multilingual student leaders with students who are new to the country and share hobbies and at least one common language. Reflecting that mission, the mural will now greet Valley’s students in the halls every day. It features Muslim, Latino, BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color), and Southeast Asian individuals surrounded by cultural plants and patterns. The word “rise” is painted along the top of the mural in Arabic, Spanish, English, Vietnamese, and Braille. Nestled among the flowers is a monarch butterfly, a symbol representing the “beauty of migration.”
RISE proposed the mural at the group’s first-ever meeting in 2021-22. Club advisor Gianna Pugliese, WDMCS Community Education intercultural outreach coordinator, took the idea to Valley High School’s administration and received immediate support. Funding from Valley High School, WDMCS Community Education, and the WDMCS Foundation made the students’ dream a reality. Wells met with the students to collaborate on the design, then completed the mural during summer 2022.
Alwan and fellow founding RISE members sophomore Kate Waters and 2022 graduate Lucy Murugami spoke at the reception, along with WDMCS family engagement specialist Eddy Cisneros, another RISE advisor. Wells and Valley Principal David Maxwell also addressed attendees. Food was available from Karam’s Mediterranean Grill, and a playlist created by RISE students played in the background.
The mural reception was WDMCS’ first event promoting Welcoming Week, a nationwide event from Welcoming America that “(brings) together neighbors of all backgrounds to build strong connections and affirm the importance of welcoming and inclusive places in achieving collective prosperity.” WDMCS will celebrate Welcoming Week as a district for the first time from Sept. 12-16, 2022.
“What this mural represents is our commitment to acknowledge all of our students,” Maxwell said. “Our students who aren’t often seen on our walls, for our students who are here from different countries, from different backgrounds, who come from different cultures, and who speak different languages. This is a symbol of our commitment to our students to let them know that they are seen, they are valued, and that this is their school, and we love them.”
Credits:
Photos by Alexandra Wade for West Des Moines Community Schools.