Oct 3, 2013 3 min read

Washington School District students are using art to urge the community to “Stop the Violence” before this weekend’s march and rally in the city.

Students from kindergarten to 12th grade created hundreds of art projects to illustrate why violence isn’t the answer and how they can make better choices as they grow.

The artwork is now on display across the high school and central office in an effort to promote the city’s second annual “March Against Violence” Saturday morning at Washington & Jefferson College.

“I know we’re inundated with violence today. It’s just part of the pop culture and media,” Washington Superintendent Roberta DiLorenzo said. “But it’s also very good to know that when you put this (art project) out there to them – sending some messages about how to stop the violence – they really step forward with these ideas.”

Each art teacher pushed the projects in their classes, which DiLorenzo said promoted the district’s curriculum of nonviolence and healthy living. She said the artwork helped teachers spur discussions about dating violence, bullying and drug and alcohol abuse.

“These kids really captured the healthy-choice aspect that we’ve integrated into instruction,” DiLorenzo said. “It’s not just in the schools, but it’s very clear that the kids are well aware that violence is not a choice you want to make and there are other avenues to solve your problems.”

She pointed to one poster that played into the school district’s name with the student urging others to “Wash Away Violence.” Another, she said, showed a student standing in a mirror with the statement “Violence Stops Here.”

“Very impressive,” she said. “The kids did a wonderful job with the messages. Very insightful.”

Michelle Engle, supervisor of special education, said the project was especially powerful for the 18 Life Skills students in the school district. She said the project helped the special-needs students express their thoughts through art. Engle thinks the Life Skills group’s artwork helped inspire others students after it was posted on the Washington School District’s official Facebook page.

“Sometimes the best thing to do is these hands-on activities,” Engle said. “There’s no right and there’s no wrong answer. They have that freedom, and we discussed what it meant. To see them, in particular, really get it really meant a lot.”

She was especially pleased about how they used the artwork to generate discussions in class.

“They talked about why it was important for making good choices … and what the consequences might be,” Engle said. “We don’t live in a perfect world. There is violence and bullying.”

The project coincides with various organizations preparing for the “March Against Violence” that starts at 10 a.m. Saturday at the Old Main building on W&J’s campus. The event will include speakers and culminate in a walk through the community.