'While I live, I want to …
JACKSON TWP — Three eighth graders at Seneca Valley Middle School want their peers to think about their purpose in life.
Destiny Inks, Emma Kovarik and Alyssa Wible created a wall that allows students to write down what they want to do while they're alive and the impact they want to have.
The wall outside the multipurpose room is painted black with chalkboard paint. At the top it reads “While I live, I want to … .”
Since the wall was completed earlier this month, it has been filled with wishes and goals from students throughout the school. The writings run the gamut, from career aspirations to romantic desires.
Go to college, travel the world, make a difference, go to the Olympics, get good grades, own Bitcoin, save someone's life, win the lottery, become a lawyer.
One person wrote “meet my biological mom & dad.”
“You can see how diverse this school is but we came together as a community,” Destiny said.
The girls got the idea from a lesson in Lisa Tyson's reading class at the beginning of the school year when they watched a TED Talk about world-renowned artist Candy Chang's participatory public art projects.
Chang created a stencil that says “Before I die I want to __________” and painted it on a wall in New Orleans. People passing by could fill in the blank with chalk. The project was so popular that Before I Die walls have been created in more than 70 countries.
Destiny, Emma and Alyssa wanted to bring something similar to the middle school to allow students to anonymously express their wildest dreams and desires and learn more about their classmates. The girls had seen the Before I Die walls in cities they'd visited and saw firsthand how impactful the art project had been.
“People are getting to connect and learn about their peers,” Emma said, “and embrace their futures.”
“It's a way to say what you really mean,” Alyssa said.
Tyson guided the trio to approach the school principal with their idea. With the help of the administration, the girls came up with their own version of the wall, and with grant funding from the Seneca Valley Foundation, they were able to make the dream a reality.After the wall was painted black by the maintenance department, middle school art teachers George Williams and Tabatha Karman helped the girls paint the lettering on the wall.Before students could write on the wall, Tyson said they watched the video of Candy Chang during one of the school's recent Olweus bullying prevention meetings. Students were asked to think about what they would write on the wall.Destiny, Alyssa and Emma were surprised at how deep and thoughtful their classmates were and how fast the wall filled up with writing.The wall will stay up and be available for any passers-by to contribute to throughout the school year. It will be cleaned over the summer and become a blank slate for next year's middle school students.“It's very heartwarming to read these,” Destiny said. “I'm proud of this.”
