Art imitates life for students

The values of Ko Te Aroha Children's Centre have been reflected in a mural being painted by Makoura College students.

The Year 10 art students have been working on the mural after the school was approached by the centre to do the work.

Head of curriculum for visual arts Janine Southey-Tuapaea said the students had to work to a "quite specific" list of requests, which mainly included the centre's gifts of character, such as love and responsibility.

Ms Southey-Tuapaea said the students came up with the idea of using puzzle pieces to join the characteristics together, and each has worked on their own piece.

There will also be a row of pre-school children along the bottom with their backs to the road, so it appears they are reading the wall.

"It gives them real-life experience," said Ms Southey-Tuapaea.

"They benefit because they plan what they want to do and then they get to go produce the mural at a larger scale. It gives them a sense of achievement."

She said the centre had been "really impressed" with the work so far and they hoped to have it finished in about three weeks.

Centre lead educator Raewyn McKenna said they had received great feedback about the mural.

She said the characteristics reflected the centre. "We just kind of feel the foundation for everything is to build on those qualities, so that's what we focus on in the centre".

"They've really represented what we're about," said Mrs McKenna.