Conneaut Elementary students will have a reminder to be kind every day they head to and from the cafeteria.

Art teacher Kelsey Frysinger’s fifth grade students have spent the month of January painting the hallway wall a rainbow hue.

Frysinger said she picked a rainbow because it was colorful and it’s sends a good message. When it is done it will say “In a world where you can be anything, be kind.”

The mural is just outside the cafeteria doors, where students pass every day, and just inside the doors they enter after recess.

Frysinger will add the quote and then students will add more paw prints before the piece is finished.

“The kids have been amazing,” she said. “I pretty much gave them a paint brush and said put this color here and they’ve been responsible, they’ve worked hard, they’ve blown me away.”

Frysinger has been at Conneaut for four years and is in her fourth year as a resident educator. Instead of just doing a basic after-school art program, she wanted to introduce a more creative outlet.

“So, I thought that doing a mural would be neat because it would give kids the opportunity to stay after school and work together and see how their artwork could brighten a community and use art to make their school a better environment for other students,” she said.

Frysinger had 40 participate.

“Way more than I could have ever anticipated,” she said.

Students have worked in groups of six or seven and spent one afternoon on Tuesdays and Thursdays this month painting.

Lucas Stanton said he wanted to be involved in the project because it has many students working together to create something that will benefit the school and the community.

Lucas, who was painting the red stripe in the rainbow, said art is his favorite class.

Aria Swartz said she is enjoying the project because she gets to be with her friends while doing her favorite thing, painting.

“I enjoy painting because it’s a quiet thing I can do anyway if I have the right things and it’s calming,” Aria said.

She said she paints a lot of swings, cats and dogs.

The message she wants her classmates to take from the mural is to be more kind to others and not bully anyone else.

Brooklynn Graber has enjoyed helping with the mural because she likes painting.

Brooklynn said she wants to be an artist and does a lot of art at home using acrylic. She said she has sold her work as part of an auction in her Girl Scout troop.

Lucas Doster said he was having fun painting the dark blue stripe of the mural and he was happy he signed up to help.

“I thought it would be fun and I like art,” he said.

Kylie Doust said she volunteered to help with the mural because she likes painting.

Art is her favorite class, and she uses pencil when she draws at home. She said she hopes when people walk past the mural, they get the message to be nice to people.

Frysinger said her goal as a teacher is to find ways to make school better for the students and art is an easy way to do it.

“Art was always my escape and it’s what I would turn to if I wanted to get away and relax,” she said.

Frysinger said her art teachers shaped her as a person and she wanted to give back to the younger generation by becoming an art teacher and letting her students know they can come to her room and feel safe and respected and explore.

“I want (my students) to become outstanding citizens in the world when they leave school and to me it’s most important to help them learn how to be respectful and confident in themselves,” Frysinger said. “If they can leave knowing how to be kind and confident in themselves, I will be happy.”

Frysinger said she wants to either get a photo of all the students who contributed or a small engraving to put next to the mural.

“I do want them to know that when you make art, you’re leaving a legacy, and they’re leaving their mark as fifth graders,” Frysinger said.