Arlington Heights students create lasting tribute to King
On a day when many of their peers were enjoying a day off playing in the snow, dozens of young people filled the Cardinal Room at the Arlington Heights Memorial Library on Monday to help create a lasting tribute to their community and the legacy of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.
Using an outline created by Elk Grove Village-based artist Gino Savarino, the students and other community members worked together to paint a 3-foot by 6-foot mural that, when finished, will be shown around town before finding a likely permanent home at the Northwest Suburban High School District 214's Newcomer Center in Arlington Heights,
The mural features likenesses of King along with symbols of peace and familiar images of Arlington Heights, such as a racehorse and the village emblem.
"They came to create something that ties together the community of Arlington Heights as well as celebrate the legacy of Martin Luther King and everything he stood for," Savarino said of painters.
Among the young artists were Audrey, 8, and Owen, 12, Wellner of Arlington Heights. Their mom, Christine Wellner, said the siblings at first probably would have rather been on a sled hill Monday morning but came around to enjoy the experience.
"I think it's going to be a really colorful and really beautiful representation of our diverse community here in Arlington Heights," she said.