Pleasantville students hashtag positive messages

Using the social-media label, the members of the school’s art club came together last month and brightened the school’s front wall with a hand-painted mural –50 feet long and ten feet high – in the national colours.

Flora and fauna, oil rigs, the National Academy for the Performing Arts (NAPA) and local drummers are among the images depicted in the patriotic mural. It took nine students six days to complete the work and yesterday, in a simple ceremony, the painting was unveiled to the school and the public, Newsday was told.

“The Hashtag Initiative describes a movement of positivity that fuses the old with the new,” said head of the Visual and Performing Arts Department Paul Julien as he explained the rationale for the project which, so far, has been getting positive reviews.

“Special words and expressions, all accompanied by a hashtag (#), will be used to promote and send messages that will foster and promote holistic development throughout our school.” Julien added, “A positive school climate can help to decrease a lot of problems such as absenteeism, suspensions, substance abuse and bullying. Creating this kind of atmosphere in school also increases students’ academic achievement, motivation to learn and their psychological well-being. It can even mitigate the negative effects of self-criticism and socio-economic status on academic success.

In addition, working in this kind of climate lessens teacher burnout while increasing retention.” Newsday was told that the Hashtag Initiative and National Pride Mural was conceptualised by the Art Club and students began work on February 2.

The hashtags used are #NationalPride, #LoveYourCountry #CountryFirst, #Patriotism and #Trinbagonian. Julien said #Trinbagonian comes from Jeffrey Johnson, president of a Facebook group called Trinbagonian.

“He passed and saw what the students were doing and was impressed and decided to partner with us,” Julien said.

The second and third phase of the initiative will see the entire school involved in three more installations, which will reflect a series of more hashtag messages based on the theme #Schoolis- BAE, #LoveOfSchool and #LoveOfSelf.

The event, which got the blessings of principal Patricia Pitt and staff, was attended by TTUTA president Lynsley Doodhai, officials of the Ministry of Education and councillor Robert Parris, among other guests.