SAN FERNANDO : Youngsters Leave Legacy With Mural

Instead of scrawling their names on walls, sixth-graders at Morningside Elementary School chose to leave a more permanent reminder of themselves at the school.

With paintbrushes in hand, about a dozen students and adults put the finishing touches on a mural Monday that includes the likenesses of seven classmates standing beside a blowup of the Earth.

The students say the mural, which is named after the sixth-grade class name, “Changing Times,” is their legacy to the school’s future generations.

“It’s (so) people could see that I used to come to this school,” said Brenda Morales, 12, who is pictured in the mural.

The students were guided by a gang counselor in sketching and painting the mural, which is located in the hallway of the school’s main two-story classroom building.

Manuel Velasquez, a muralist who works for Community Youth Gang Services in San Fernando, slips in advice against joining gangs and committing vandalism as he teaches the students how to draw and paint the larger-than-life figures.

“I tell them this is the alternative to tagging,” Velasquez said.

Velasquez, who has painted 16 murals in the San Fernando area, also enticed the students in taking on the mural project by telling them, “Your face is going to be here forever.”

Manuel Martinez, 12, said having his likeness on the wall makes him feel proud.

“They finally chose all of us to be in something important,” Martinez said.