Students paint hope: The story behind Clove Lakes Park’s mental health mural

STATEN ISLAND, NY If you walk into Clove Lakes from the small park above, called the Norbert Leeseberg Perennial Garden, off Clove Street near Victory Boulevard, you’ll find Staten Island students from Richmond South High School expressing their views on awareness. of mental health through their powerful bench mural. This mural was installed at Clove Lakes Park as part of the CEIs Benchmarks nationwide exhibition. It is part of the Youth Setting the Standard for Social Change program, created by the Center for Educational Innovation (CEI) in partnership with NYC Parks.

The bench is about mental health; even though you may be going through something difficult, there is always a way to come back from it and become stronger. The dots were put there to show how sometimes life can fall apart, said Nicholas Gonzalez, a 7th grade student artist.

Another student, Anniyah Willis, added, mental health can affect our life and we need to improve it in order to have a good life in the future and in order to have a clear thinking about the things we need to do. we do rather than have it. foggy effect.

The bench mural at Clove Lakes Park is not just a piece of art, but a beacon of hope and change. Created by students from PS/IS 25 South Richmond High School, it is part of a student exhibit of 30 benches in NYC parks across the city. This initiative is a testament to the transformative power of art and how it empowers students to talk about important issues, leaving a lasting impact on our community.