Courtesy TCU
TCU student Bhavana Sreepad painting mural
As part of a community impact project, first-year medical students at the TCU Burnett School of Medicine left behind a collection of colorful and inspiring murals at Christine C. Moss elementary school.
A collection of 60 students tasked themselves with welcoming elementary school students to the new school year through vibrant colors and imagery. The mural project was part of the curriculum for Introduction to Service Learning in which students meet community partners from different areas of Fort Worth. The students followed an almost paint-by-number situation for the mural, which a local artist painted initially, but it was up to the TCU students to scale it.
The project took two weeks to complete.
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“Years after year, elementary school students will see these positive messages, and it's certainly heartfelt to our community to welcome our medical students and then, of course, for the elementary students,” Erin Nelson, an associate professor in medical education, says.
Four murals covered different parts of the school and the 60 students were sectioned off into groups for each one. The murals are in the school’s gymnasium, garden, cafeteria, and a banner at the front of the school where TCU students shared welcome messages. The murals’ themes are the culture and history of the school and city, including one on Juneteenth.
“The cool part about being at the elementary school made me realize that I'm not just here volunteering. I’m also helping the community, knowing that what we are doing here as medical students will help better the community over time,” says Parminder Deo, a med school student. “You can't really treat a patient if you don't treat the community as well.”
Previously, there was a similar community project for the school’s applicants, but COVID-19 put it on hold. This is the first endeavor the school has done on this scale post-pandemic. According to TCU, the Introduction to Service Learning class has been an ongoing program that encourages students to create meaningful interactions within the community. Instructors and students touch base throughout the semester and write about their experience at the end of the semester.
“As a course director and school medicine faculty, it was one of my favorite days and favorite moments,” Erin Nelson says. “The whole two weeks saw everyone smiling and knowing more joy was coming.
