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Middle school banners tout affirmations

ERIN O’NEILL The Marietta Times Eighth grade students walk past a new inspirational sign at the school during class change Wednesday. The colorful signs are part of a partnership with the school and Signality Sign and Graphics to bring a positive message to the students each day.

Marietta Middle School students returned from winter break Wednesday with a few new reminders that they matter, they are important and that they should be kind to others.

Colorful banners, two per floor, were hung over the break, touting affirmations like “kindness,” “plant happiness” and “be better than you were yesterday.”

It helps bring an air of cheerfulness to an old building that sports pretty drab institutional paint colors, said some in the school.

“It makes me feel good. The blue and purple and pink…it just brightened my day,” exclaimed sixth-grader Peyton Farley.

The project is part of a partnership between

Middle School teachers Shanaka Haney-McGowan and Mindy Wolfe and MMS partner in education, Signality Sign and Graphics of Marietta.

“I just saw them up for the first time yesterday during our work day,” said Haney-McGowan. “We started this in September, coming up with ideas for quotes and what the designs would look like. I wanted to get some positivity, spreading diversity, tolerance and color throughout the school.”

Jordana Bungard and Cassie Bateson, with Signality, were instrumental in taking the ideas and designs, putting them together on vinyl and putting them up around the school.

“It took us a day while the kids were out of school. I looked at the building before to get an idea of what we could do and it’s been great to just pick out a project and see it all the way through,” Bungard said. “To partner with the Middle School was just a no-brainer.”

Some people might be familiar with their vinyl brick wraps in downtown Marietta, outside of The Cook’s Shop and Top Drawer on Front Street. The partnership with MMS will likely include more projects in the future, including directional signage on top of the hill and a new partners in education sign at the bottom of the hill.

For many of the students, a little bit of positivity during the day makes a big difference.

“A lot of people look down on themselves and don’t really have friends or family to make them feel good about themselves,” said eighth grade student Javin Pugh. “I think this can make a really big difference.”

Principal Brittany Schob said the students have been asking questions about where the signs came from and how long they’ll be staying.

“They’re here to stay. This is something that has been a goal of mine for a long time, to add some color,” she said.

Students and teachers alike expressed that adding to the collection of inspirational signs is something they would like to see the PTO or student groups pick up as a project. They said it adds a lot to their school day, which, in middle school, can be pretty daunting.

“Last month our personality trait was compassion and I was chosen for my grade,” said seventh-grader Ericha Lawell. “I think that these signs show compassion and just make people feel happy.”

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