Hear - and see - the buzz at Sanfordville Elementary

Students in Sanfordville Elementary School art teacher Sunwha Gil’s Spring Art Club have been deeply engaged in creating a mural for the upcoming Warwick Monarch Village Pollinator Festival.

You might say the art room has been “buzzing” with activity since the project kicked off just about a month ago.

“We meet once a week in the morning, and we have had about four sessions so far,” said Gil. “Our first three sessions we were sketching, tracing with Sharpies, painting the ocean and the map of America.”

In more recent sessions, the students have been working hard at expanding the mural and adding details, applying equal parts personal creativity and the art techniques they learn in their classes. The students will be unveiling their mural at the Warwick Monarch Village Pollinator Festival, which will take place on Saturday, June 21, from 11 a.m. until 3 p.m., at Park Avenue Elementary School.

“Students in all grades throughout our district learn about the importance of pollinators in our community,” said Gil. “This year, I asked my art club students if they would like to contribute to (the festival), and they were excited to be a part of this mural project.”

The goal of the festival is to share with people the critical role that pollinators play in our ecosystem and how to protect them. It also celebrates Warwick’s designation as the first community in New York to be designated as a Monarch Village USA member (2023). The Sanfordville art club’s mural depicts the migration of monarchs from Mexico throughout North America.

Gil serves on the Monarch Butterfly Committee with four of her Sanfordville colleagues - library specialist Danielle Cancel and PIE teachers Jamie Harrington and Donna Denny - which is how the opportunity for the students took shape.

“(The committee) discusses how we can plant some pollinator friendly trees and flowers to save butterflies and bees, and ways we can involve students and their families in the Warwick community.”

During the Warwick Monarch Village Pollinator Festival, there will be butterfly and pollinator-themed projects on display created by students from local schools. The event will also have outreach and education, beekeeper’s, butterflies and native plants. There will also be games and activities, music, food trucks, vendors and more.

Along with the mural, students are also designing and painting their own butterflies. Gil said that her students have been energized by this project, and that it shows not only in the creativity they’ve shown, but also in their enthusiasm for collaboration.

“It’s fun to paint together as a team,” said art club member Carly. “And I love to work with my hands.”

Fellow art clubber Daliah agreed: “We can design our own butterfly patterns as well as enjoy painting together as a team.”