After 27 hours of labor from 1,200 volunteers, 50 gallons of paint and 15 giant citrus trees, Duval Elementary School got a makeover this past weekend.
Volunteers from about 100 organizations at UF, including the UF women’s soccer and lacrosse teams, and students from Florida State University and Georgia Tech joined Project Makeover to give Duval Elementary a face lift. This fine arts academy is located in a lower-income area of Gainesville.
Daniel Burney, assistant principal of Duval Elementary, said a select group of students were asked to write their dreams for the school down and hand them in. The students had no idea some of the things they wrote actually would be implemented.
“It was more of a covert operation,” Burney said. “One student suggested a swimming pool, which would be difficult, so we chose the more ideal suggestions they gave.”
Burney said he is really anxious to see how students will react to the makeover. It really has been a hands-on process for them.
“Their imaginations have come to life,” he said.
Sara Stout, executive director of Project Makeover, said they took an artistic approach to the landscape design by incorporating designs by UF landscape architecture students. Hand-painted murals now adorn every hallway in the building, as well as the sidewalks outside.
Tracy Wynman, a landscape architecture major at UF who volunteered, said they lined the courtyard with 15 citrus trees that will provide shade, making the space enjoyable and conducive as a learning environment. For an aesthetic touch, they also planted flowers.
“This is just the beginning for the space. Much will evolve later on,” Wynman said.
