Submissions

Following our Valentine’s Contest, more than one hundred PS 102 students and faculty submitted great ideas for our PS 102 Welcome Mural.  On February 16, the PTA’s Art Committee met to review the submissions, along with artist Sam Wisneski and the director of the Storefront Art Center, Paul Curtis.  Here are some of our favorites.

Pictures and Artifacts

Below are some of our favorite pictures and artifacts, as well as the review committee in action.

PS 102 Mural, posted with vodpod

Written Submissions

Henry, Kindergarten

Photos of piñata party and piñatas in many shapes and sizes.

“My Grandma Etelvina comes from Honduras. In her country, children break open piñatas at birthday parties and share the treats hidden inside. To celebrate my birthday each year, Grandma makes a special piñata of my favorite character. My family and friends take turns hitting it until all the candy falls out.”

Kaixin, 5th grade

Drawing of apartment buildings, with people/families on top. A large Welcome sign hangs over the center building.

“The people in the balcony are different kinds of families. It’s about unity, togetherness, friendship and peace. It’s welcoming to the people who see it. These words should stay in your heart and be kept inside. It’s very important that you have these words.”

Lixin, 5th grade

Drawing of a globe, encircling the globe are three rings of repeating words: Togetherness, Family, Warm-hearted, Friendship, Peace, Generosity, Welcome. Outside the rings were peace signs, hearts, stars, smiley faces.

“This picture should be represented on the mural, because it shows welcoming to everyone. It shows the earth and the words: warm-hearted, generosity, welcome, peace, family, togetherness and friendship. These words mean that unity is important to everyone.”

Judah, 5th grade

My Favorite Quote

“My favorite quote is, ‘A stranger who dwells among you shall be to you as one born among you, and you shall love him as yourself.‘

“The reason this quote is important is because when a stranger or visitor comes to my home, my family loves them and treats them as one of our own family.”

Sabrine, 5th grade

Photo of Moroccan tea set.

“The picture above is of a traditional Moroccan tea set. Traditionally, families gather together for Moroccan mint tea at about 4:00. Other times, serving tea out of these sets is a way for Moroccans to welcome others into their homes. This should be on the mural because it represents how one country greets each other and since the theme is how we welcome people into our homes, I think it fits into the theme pretty nicely.”

Author/class unknown.

Puzzle Pieces

We all fit together like on big puzzle.

We are all one puzzle piece. It is who

we are that makes us

special. Without you the

puzzle would never be complete

When you

have a problem we

all are affected

For it’s almost like

a sickness that we

catch and keep. It does

not matter what gender, what

problem or what age. Friends

don’t leave friends, just glue us together

and we’ll have each other forever

and ever!

Rochelle, 5th grade

“Mural: I chose to create this poster because it means a lot to me. The words (hope, talent, faith, and inspiration) are words with a lot of emotion and feeling. I think that PS 102 contributes to these 4 words. I also think happy children and peace is included in this school. This poster also shows many bright colors and symbols.

“You can find it all right here!

“Make this your second home!”

[Words on poster:            Hope, Talent, Faith, Inspiration]

Anne, 1st grade

Picture of a welcome mat; stick people saying, “Hi, I like you.” Butterflies saying, “I like you, me too.” Home with smoke coming out of chimney.

Welcome

Will you enter my gates?

Love lives here.

Come and see me.

Open fun house.

My home.

Enjoy are harmony.

Harley, 3rd grade

Welcome

What do you do when someone comes to your home.

1. You welcome them inside.
2. You take their coats or packages.
3. Tell them to sit down.
4. ask if they would like a drink like tea or soda.
5. sit down and talk to them.
6. give them a tour of the house
7. put out some snacks on the table.
8. Entertain your guests.
9. say goodbye when they leave and invite them again.

Mary Kate, 5th grade

Photo of bronze plaque, with the following inscription:

“All our visitors bring happiness

Some by coming

Others by going”

What it means to Mary Kate:

“I also brought in a picture of a plaque that is in the front hallway of my house. It was put up by the people that my parents bought the house from. My Mom and I think it is really funny, my Dad wanted to take it down because he thought it was not nice, but everyone that comes to our house stops and reads it and has a laugh, so it is still up! I think this was a missing element – fun or humor.”

Nadean, 5th grade

“It’s impossible to be unhappy when you know you have talent, friendship and love. What more could you want? What more could you need? As long as you have those three things…” quoted from Rani and the Three Treasures by Kimberly Morris

Gauri, 2nd grade

Photo of Gauri outside the Taj Mahal.

One of the 7 wonders, the Taj Mahal stands as tall as the biggest monument dedicated to eternal love. Shah Jahan, a king who loved his wife immensely, built this monument to show the world that his love for his wife, Mumtaz, could withstand the test of time. As one of the biggest symbols of both love and wealth – the Taj still has real precious gems embedded in the marble. The Taj Mahal is one of the first things that come to mind when thinking about India.

Judah, 5th grade

Drawing at top: “Welcome all!” In center, circle of children holding hands; at their feet a circle of words: unity, peace, love, joy, creativity, happiness, honesty, care, integrity, prosperity, warmth, faith, kindness. Below, the following inscription:

“United Kids of PS 102.

We kids at PS 102 welcome all to our wonderful school!”

What it means to Judah:

“This picture of kids holding hands represents the kind of community PS 102 is. The words describe what the community is like. For example, unity means we are all united like a family. Honesty means we’re all honest to each other. Even though these things aren’t always true, it’s what we’re working towards.”

Author/class unknown

WELCOME (written in big, bold colors)

I want to say “Welcome” in this type of a way. If someone comes to my home, I would like to make my “Welcome” bright, so it makes my guest feel like it’s their home. They will feel like my home is a nice place.

Mrs. Dovi

“All children laugh in the same language” words surrounding a globe/smiley face.

Mrs. Stanton

For me feeling welcome is a multi-sensory experience… It’s the feel of a hug, kiss or a handshake. It’s the tone of voice that greets with warmth and affection It’s the scent of a fireplace, BBQ, hot apple pie, clay, paint or woodchips. It’s the taste of a warm meal or cup of tea. It’s the image of colors, fabric and decor within a structure that I can live in.

Georgiana

As New York Italian-American the Verrazano Narrows Bridge represents WELCOME to us. It was named after Giovanni de Verrazano the first European explorer to sail into NY harbor. As an amazing NY icon is symbolizes freedom and guards over NY. It is connected at both ends by Ft. Hamilton in Brooklyn and Ft. Wadsworth in Staten Island. We love driving over it and seeing the signs “You are now leaving Brooklyn” and “Welcome to Brooklyn” Whether we are riding over it or under it, it always feels like we are coming HOME.