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Lake Zurich student art gets eyes, possible buyers at Starbucks

Budding Picassos and Monets from Lake Zurich Unit District 95 are getting a visible place for their works to be displayed outside school.

Another rotation of student art went up Thursday just a few feet from where baristas handled a steady customer stream at the Starbucks on Rand Road north of Route 22, across from Paulus Park in Lake Zurich. It's part of an effort by District 95 to connect to the community at large.

District 95 communications director Jean Malek said the student art has impressed Starbucks customers to the point some have inquired to buy the work. Starbucks employees will give Malek's business card to customers who want to purchase the art, and she'll contact a student's parents about an offer.

"It's just been a really, really positive thing," Malek said. "Most of the time when we're in here hanging their artwork, people come up to us and talk to us about it. Unsolicited, they often come up and go, 'What is this? Or they'll say, 'Oh, I love this.'"

Ellice Cortez, an art instructor at District 95's Middle School South in Lake Zurich, was at the Starbucks to see the latest display hung on the wall.

"Sometimes I just feel like a proud mom," Cortez said.

Among the dozen fresh pieces adding zip to the wall is a vivid turtle created by Anja Wiersum, a first-grader at Spencer Loomis Elementary School in Hawthorn Woods. There also is Middle School South eighth-grader Hayden Martin's depiction of someone swimming in outer space.

Ellen Osiadacz of Hawthorn Woods sipped her coffee near where the new display went up and a sign on the wall reads, "Please enjoy this artwork created by Community Unit School District 95 students."

"I'm really impressed," Osiadacz said.

Malek and her assistant, Emily Sricharmorn, brought in boxes of the new art from District 95's eight schools and removed what was on the wall Thursday. They carefully hung the new works and adjusted the art to make sure it wasn't crooked.

District 95's art display at the Starbucks can be traced to a conversation Malek had with the store manager about 1½ years ago. She said she jumped on the idea when the manager mentioned a desire for a community partnership, possibly through showing student art in the shop.

Cortez said the art teachers select what they believe is the best student-produced work, which rotates about every six weeks for the Starbucks wall. She said the Starbucks initiative has become popular among the pupils and their parents.

"To see the light on the kids' faces when they are told they're chosen for Starbucks, they just shine," Cortez said. "I had a student high-five another student because she knew she was chosen for this."

  An art piece by Lake Zurich Middle School North seventh-grade student Rory O'Sullivan is part of the current works on display at the Lake Zurich Starbucks near Route 22. Paul Valade/pvalade@dailyherald.com
  Lake Zurich Unit District 95 Director of Communications Jean Malek positions student art pieces Thursday at the Starbucks on Rand Road near Route 22. Paul Valade/pvalade@dailyherald.com
  An art piece of a turtle by first-grader Anja Wiersum of Spencer Loomis Elementary School in Hawthorn Woods hangs on a wall at the Lake Zurich Starbucks on Rand Road near Route 22. Paul Valade/pvalade@dailyherald.com
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