Park Lane Elementary students likely are anticipating the mural they’ll be painting at this school year’s Night of the Arts.

The past two springs, each student, along with faculty and staff, has been invited to paint a section of a mural that hangs in the school cafeteria.

At the most recent Night of the Arts, a mural of the nearby Wasatch Mountains was painted with the line, “We can move mountains!” It was a projected dedicated to the talent of the school’s teachers and staff.

“We provide an art project students can take home with them, but also one that stays here at the school,” said Amber McRae, who is Park Lane’s PTA president and stepped in during the school year as the school’s art teacher. “This one teaches them about using warm colors, such as orange and yellow, for city buildings and cool colors like blue and purple for the mountains.”

Fourth-grader Desi Larson added a touch of color into the mural.

“There’s something fun to do here every year,” she said.

The previous year’s mural was dedicated to 32-year veteran teacher Susan Homer, who died of bacterial meningitis in 2022.

The night also features samples of the students’ work from sculpture to collages and paintings of hot air balloons to fall trees. There were even some student-artists’ renditions of their principal, Justin Jeffery.

“We display a piece of artwork for every kid, if possible,” McRae said, adding seeing kids share their artwork with others is her favorite part of the event. “It’s neat for kids to see that they can all come together, especially with art, and they feel like they’ve accomplished something. We also have performances by our orchestra and choir. This night is important to our kids. It’s an important part of our society; our kids should have exposure to it. I know in my art class, a lot of kids have never picked up a paintbrush and it’s important for them to have that opportunity.”

Desi showed her dad, Mike, a monster sculpture she made and named after him. She credits him and her grandmother for her talent in art.

“I came up with the idea for this monster on my own,” she said. “I like how art can calm you down and you can show your emotions through what you make.”

Her father says coming to Night of the Arts is an annual tradition.

“We come every year so it’s always fun to see how inspired the kids are,” he said. “It’s good for her creative side and it kind of helps with anxiety to allow her to express herself in different ways and not be judged upon.”

Jeffery, who also painted a section on the mural, is a supporter of Night of the Arts.

“It’s important that our kids are exposed to art, and they get a chance to show their art,” he said before the students’ performances. “It makes our whole curriculum come together and it’s all part of a rounded well-being of a child. You need to take different views. If you take reading, writing and arithmetic, the three R’s we talk about, you don’t get all the pieces. When you think back to elementary school, do you remember that great math lesson? No, but you can remember things that anchor you and show you, ‘hey, I can be good in this thing,’ whether it’s a sport, music, art or whatever. It allows us to develop to our full potential.”

Jeffery said he loves the Night of the Arts as well as its patronage.

“I love how many people come out to see the art, to hear the music, to grab food from the food trucks and talk with their neighbors and friends. I’ve seen people that I haven’t seen in years, but they live in the community and want to be part of it. This is a community event for everybody,” he said.

Canyons Board of Education member Nancy Tingey supported the event.

“This night is a fun night and a celebration of the skills they learned and the sense of accomplishment they have gotten,” she said. “It’s fun to attend and see how they are excited to share what they have learned with their families.” λ