CINCINNATI — The walls of Cincinnati’s Academy of World Languages and Rising Stars at Carthage will be brighter and more colorful when they greet students returning to class on Aug. 18. 

Three interns from the University of Cincinnati’s College of Design Art, Architecture and Planning spent the summer designing and installing six murals across the two schools on behalf of the refugee and immigrant services nonprofit, Heartfelt Tidbits. 

What You Need To Know

  • DAAP students painted six murals between two schools

  • They worked on behalf of Heartfelt Tidbits

  • The murals focused on themes of cooperation and unity

  • Both schools host a significant immigrant and refugee population

Both schools serve students from diverse backgrounds. At AWL, a language magnet school with Cincinnati Public Schools, 50% of students are English language learners from more than 35 different countries and 100% are on free or reduced lunch. 

That's why, besides making the schools more beautiful, Hannah Spitzer, one of the DAAP interns, said the focus of the art was to create a more welcoming environment for the students. 

“I want the kids to walk into the school and feel like it’s a big family,” she said. “Everyone is welcomed just as they are. Everyone is equal."

She and her fellow interns worked to incorporate those themes into each of their pieces. The clearest example is the unity mural outside the cafeteria.

Sondos Hasan, another DAAP intern, designed the piece. An immigrant herself, she said she wanted it to represent and highlight all of the different racial and ethnic backgrounds at AWL in a way kids could understand. 

The result was a wall of hands representing various skin tones, clasped together in a show of unity.

"This is the one I'm proudest of,” she said. 

In addition to the murals, the DAAP interns helped teach during the summer scholars program, allowing some of the students to help out with the murals or observe them in their early stages.

"The children when I was in the process of working on this as well, they would give me like these huge reactions and they were so ecstatic, so happy to see me working on this," Sondos said.

Spitzer, who aspires to be an art teacher, said that was her favorite part of working with Heartfelt Tidbits and AWL.

"I thought that would be kind of a great learning opportunity for me as a person and just getting to know people from all different backgrounds,” she said. “I've learned so many things since being here that are way above that which is awesome.”

These DAAP interns wrapped up their work for the summer with the completion of the murals, but Heartfelt Tidbits is still working with DAAP to ensure the art education continues. A DAAP intern will be offering art classes and activities at both Carthage and AWL through the school year, in the hopes of offering a way for students to express themselves and build their creativity.

"I hope it kind of gives the kids the confidence to take on their day and be inspired a little bit,” Spitzer said.