Residents near Hayes Elementary School or those who have recently driven by may have noticed the new murals surrounding the school. The intersections around the elementary school now feature brightly colored murals designed to catch drivers’ attention.
The best part? These murals were created by Hayes students themselves. In 2024, fourth- and fifth-grade students had the opportunity to create the murals for the school. This September, current fifth-grade students helped bring the artwork to life by painting sections on the sidewalks.
Some of the students’ ideas include a colorful section displaying crayons with the word “CREATE” painted in a graffiti style, along with a floral scene including an illustration of bees buzzing about and the positive message, “BEE KIND.”
The work wasn’t done entirely by Hayes students, however. Most of the actual painting, and even some of the designing, was done by the Cleveland Mural Company. The muralists on this project were Derek Brennan, Chad Fedorovich, Skuff Micksun, and Nick Wyatt.
“I kind of took a lot of those drawings and found ways to kind of piece them together or reinterpret them … just trying to take what they had, their initial kind of ideas, and bring it all together,” said Brennan.
Brennan and Fedorovich had the job of compiling all of the students’ ideas and refining them to create what is now decorating the intersections of Delaware Ave.
“The students from Hayes Elementary actually did concept sketches from their classes … the teachers gave them a piece of paper and the general kind of shape that we’re gonna do these street murals in and they got to do their own drawings,” said Brennan.
The Cleveland Mural Company and its team were excited to be able to bring to life the imaginations of the kids at Hayes Elementary.
Micksun, a Cleveland native, helped paint the murals and guided the elementary students when they were painting the murals. “It’s nice to be able to see students say … ‘I painted that’ or tell their families they helped create that,” said Micksun.
“It was a fun way to keep them involved in the process and then … when they walk by it every day on their way to school, they can point to a little area where they worked on it and feel like they have some sort of ownership over it,” said Brennan. “I always enjoy … having the extra bit of meaning in my work.”
These murals are more than just a fun project for the students. They serve a broader purpose throughout the Hayes community and the surrounding neighborhoods. The intention of having these bright murals at intersections around the school is to call drivers’ attention to pedestrians and encourage them to pay more attention while driving, especially since the area is a school zone.
“It offers a more temporary road diet for pedestrians to walk … to take more ownership of their space and make the drivers more aware of pedestrians in the area,” said Hayes Elementary School’s Principal, Eric Fortuna.
Fortuna gave credit to Amanda Cramer, a city planner who designed this project.
“This was something that was brought to us from [Cramer]. Back in May 2024, she met with fourth- and fifth-graders at the time. They’re looking at doing the project around the city,” said Fortuna. “[Including the students] was something Amanda brought to the table, just figuring out a way that we could collaborate together. And of course, anytime we get an opportunity to do something like that with the city, we’re all for it.”
From student involvement in designing and painting the murals to creating a brighter atmosphere around the school to controlling traffic and increasing safety, this project has already had its positive impact on the community, despite being only a couple of months old.
Lakewood residents should be on the lookout for similar projects throughout the next few years at other Lakewood schools. Having these murals around the city could lead to safer traffic in school areas and increase student morale and school spirit throughout the city.
