Middletown Village students create outdoor mural Children run and jump and play on a brightly colored mural that decorates the front lawn at Middletown Village Elementary School. The artwork was created by fourth-graders who participated in an Fourth-graders at Middletown Village Elementary School created these colorful murals that are installed in the front yard of the school. enrichment program with art teacher Lisa Montibello to create the mural. During the process, the group learned the purpose of murals and decided on a design representing students participating in outdoor activities like the arts, nature and sports. To create the mural, students were photographed in selected poses and their images were projected onto prepainted white wood panels. Students then traced their outlines and painted the panels with acrylic paints. The panels were connected to form a mural and then were coated with polycrylic to protect the artwork from the elements. "This was a wonderful opportunity for all of us," saidMontibello, who teaches art to students at Village Elementary, which is located on Kings Highway in the heart of historic Middletown. "The students worked in small groups of three or four, which allowed them to make decisions and discuss the design of their mural section, and they helped each other so much. The environment fostered cooperation and collaboration, and the dynamics were really inspiring."