A day of service brings 100 volunteers to Berkeley school

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

BLOOMFIELD, NJ — Berkeley Elementary School was the beneficiary of some elbow grease this past weekend. Local volunteers gave hallways a fresh coat of paint; portraits of famous people were painted on the walls; inspiring quotations were stenciled; and the risers of stairs were repainted with bright colors. Plans are to eventually paint math problems on these risers and keep young minds active even when ascending to another floor.

The volunteers came mostly from Bloomfield but also from other North Jersey communities. According to the registration list, about 100 people turned up.
The reason they came was to give back to the community during a special day of service that was scheduled in conjunction with Martin Luther King Day this past Monday, Jan. 16.

It was the third such annual day of service, an event advocated and led since its inception by Bloomfield Councilwoman Wartyna Davis. Two years ago, the Bloomfield Middle School received the benefits of the hard work with the breezeway painted. Last year, shelving was removed from a portion of the second-floor level of the Bloomfield Public Library to make way for a teen area.

Davis said someone on her committee suggested an elementary school for this year. A parent on the committee, with a child in Berkeley, suggested the school.
The portraits that were painted on the walls included Ella Fitzgerald, Anne Frank, Frida Kahlo and Oprah Winfrey.

“Everything was designed by the Berkeley School staff,” Davis said Saturday at the school.

Art teacher Mary Youssef had a big part in the design. Youssef teaches at Berkeley and Franklin elementary schools and provided the volunteers with outlines of portraits, and quotations, to be carefully filled in. She said there was a discussion as to who should be represented and Berkeley Principal Natasha Baxter sent her various pictures of these people.

“I got more than one image for each personage,” Youssef said. “I chose ones with darks and lights. They are easier for people to paint.”

The portraits appear on all three floors and the basement. Youssef projected the images onto the wall and, with a marker, outlined them. She started this on the Wednesday before the event.

Bloomfield High School students were among the volunteers, with several Key Club members on hand. The Montclair chapter of Delta Sigma Theta, a sorority mentoring African-American girls, sent volunteers, none of them Bloomfield residents, but several of them were from East Orange. One man came from East Hanover. He had found out about the event on a website that advertises volunteer opportunities. He said he tries to do volunteer work every week. Bloomfield College was also represented among the volunteers.

But for the most part, the heavy lifting was accomplished by Bloomfield residents. They included 2nd Ward Councilman Nicholas Joanow; former Bloomfield Board of Education members Mary Shaughnessy, Ben Morse and Shane Berger; current BOE member Michael Heller; Bloomfield Democratic Committeewoman Jennifer Gamble; Anne Prince, the operations manager for the Bloomfield Parking Authority; New Light Baptist Church Deacon Robert Walker, who, although a West Orange resident, said he spends most of his time in Bloomfield, Djanna Hill-Tall, the chairwoman of the Bloomfield Civic Rights Commission; Luis Felix, a member of the day of service committee; and, of course, Principal Baxter. Lauren Brown sang “The Star-Spangled Banner” to start the morning off. Mayor Michael Venezia attended the kickoff. The day was scheduled to run from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. but some people said they had arrived earlier.

Baxter called the effort amazing. Many people, she said, had participated and then signed up to return and finish the work.

“That speaks volumes,” she said. “People will come back to continue the beautification of the school.”

She said there will be positive results from all the painting projects.
“The multiplications on the stairwells will increase the awareness of math facts on a daily basis,” she said. “The positive quotes will keep children inspired. Having them on display, if they are having a bad day, will show the children the importance of looking ahead and staying focused.”

Hallways given a fresh coat were painted with lighter colors. Baxter said this will provide a more inviting environment.

The hallway leading to the kindergarten classes was also painted with a jigsaw puzzle design. Baxter called it a diversity mural showing how individual piece come together to make a school. As for the portraits, Baxter said when children have a challenging day, these faces will remind them to keep moving forward.