High Life A WEEKLY FORUM FOR HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS : Teens Brush Up on Their Sharing Skills : Volunteers: High School of the Arts students lend a helping hand to homeless shelter in Long Beach.

Orange County High School of the Arts students are presently sharing their school’s motto--”Where dreams become reality”--and their painting skills with children from the Family Shelter for the Homeless in Long Beach.

The teen-agers in the high school’s visual arts department are working with the shelter’s children in creating several large-scale murals on the walls of the shelter.

Two months ago, OCHSA painting instructor Adi Yekutieli decided his students--particularly those in the Permanent Installations class, who work to establish permanent public art--needed to interact more with their community. He contacted Vanessa Romain, director of the Long Beach shelter, about starting up a long-term project.

According to Romain, the area’s residents seemed reluctant to do more than ring the shelter’s doorbell and leave a bag of clothing on the steps, so she welcomed the involvement.

The teen-agers were enthusiastic from the beginning, bringing art projects to the shelter and working with the children every Friday for up to 3 1/2 hours at a time.

“We’re not trying to be saving angels, but we are letting our students experience art and communicate with the homeless,” Yekutieli said. “One of the (shelter’s) kids had never used scissors before our students came.”

Nancy Melbourne, director of OCHSA’s visual arts department, said the work at the shelter is not always easy.

“It’s difficult because people only stay at the shelter for four to six weeks,” she said. “A firm commitment from the students was required because trust is involved.”

After a few weeks of art lessons, the mural projects evolved. Everyone involved saw the benefits of such collaboration.

“(Students) 16 to 17 years old can be in a very self-focused state,” Melbourne said. “The students feel good about having the chance to make a difference. They are taking a good look at the world picture and doing something important right in their back yards.

“It’s a humbling experience. The students learn the importance of working collaboratively and experience communication on a whole different level.”

Ed Giardina, a senior from Huntington Beach, talked about the early days of the project.

“We started by teaching them fundamental painting,” he said. “At first they were afraid to paint on walls, but we brought them in one by one and gave them a chance.”

The teen-agers chose “doors” as the theme for the mural on the shelter’s stairwell.

“Doors are an exit to another place and a step into life. I thought that it would be interesting because their ideal doors show what they want to do in life,” said Kasey Jenkins, a senior from Long Beach. “We later changed the theme to ‘Doors and Houses’ because the younger kids all put their doors on houses.”

Two small murals also adorn the walls of the shelter’s meeting room.

Raquel Ramirez, a senior who lives in Artesia, wasn’t so sure the project would even get off the ground.

“At first, we were afraid,” she said. “We were surprised that they really got into it. Some of the kids have since moved out of the shelter, but came back to continue painting.”

Said Jenkins: “I worked with one girl who would paint an object and get so into it that I couldn’t talk to her. She just painted and painted until it turned into a giant scribble. Even the kids who couldn’t really talk knew what colors they wanted.”

In serving as role models for the shelter’s children, the teen-agers are also art instructors.

“When we paint, we separate ourselves and let the little kids fill in between us,” Giardina said. “We try to talk to them and explain what happens when the colors are mixed. Our job is to try to tie everything in and beautify it.”

The adults have been impressed.

“The high school students have really dedicated themselves to the program,” Melbourne said.

Added Yekutieli: “Some are even coming in on Saturdays and Sundays and are planning to continue on their projects during the summer.”

Other Permanent Installation students who have worked at the shelter over the past two months include Koa Duncan of Cypress, brother and sister Amy and Jason Hernandez of Santa Ana, sisters Bopha and Sokuntha Sothison of Long Beach and Miriam Pye.

“Other students who aren’t even in (the class) are also starting to participate,” Melbourne said.

And the educational process at the shelter is going in both directions at once.

“The kids set a really good example for us because they’re so free,” sophomore Amy Hernandez said. “It’s the chance of a lifetime to paint like a 3-year-old.”

Giardina agreed: “Their painting style is very romantic. They let their emotions guide them and remind us of how to paint in a non-academic way.

“Their lives are reflected greatly in their art . . . it’s uncensored and untamed.”

A display of the murals and other art work by OCHSA students and the shelter’s children will be open to the public on Saturday from 2 to 5 p.m.

Sculptures and three-dimensional pieces will be displayed in the shelter’s meeting room while the murals and other art work will cover the walls of the hallways and stairwell. Tickets are $5 and all proceeds will go the the shelter. The Family Shelter for the Homeless is at 123 E. 14th St. in Long Beach.

Melbourne praises the volunteer project as being especially valuable.

“When some of the kids walk home from school, they pass right by the shelter because they don’t want their friends to know that they live there,” she said. “The art show will give them an opportunity to be proud of where they live.”

Janet Bester is a senior at Connelly High School, where she is co-editor of the student newspaper and president of the school’s National Honor Society chapter.