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CHOCOWINITY — Chocowinity Primary School students will step into a world of magic Aug. 29, thanks to collaborative efforts to bring life to plain classroom walls.

School staff worked with two volunteers from the East Carolina University honors college who came in to help paint classroom murals throughout the school.

The idea came from a visit earlier this year to see education expert Ron Clark, and he suggested that teachers create a theme in their classrooms to make it their own, according to Chocowinity Primary Principal Alicia Vosburgh.

“It’s like making this your space,” she said. “If you love where you are, you don’t mind being here.”

From sprawling ocean themes and iconic Dr. Seuss characters, to the Nashville skyline with music notes cascading across the wall, a total of 16 murals now grace the walls of the school. Teachers will also have stages on which to stand — another Ron Clark idea — matching the art on the walls.

Each participating teacher picked a theme, and with the help of the ECU students and artist Lisa Jordan, helped to make it come to life. Some of the teachers even brought out their own artistic skills and delved into painting alongside the students.

Kayla Daughtry, 20, is studying neuroscience in college, but for the past four weeks, she has volunteered long hours to paint the murals for fun.

“First of all, I don’t like to stay still,” she said. “I was scared I was going to mess the walls up.”

Daughtry said she remembers much of her elementary school years, and she thinks it is important for the Chocowinity Primary students to have a good environment in which to learn.

She said she heard about the opportunity after a mass email was sent out to honors college students asking for anyone willing to help. Daughtry has completed seven murals.

Fellow volunteer Jessie Tucci-Heron, 21, said she is studying psychology in college, and while she loves to paint, she doesn’t get to do it often.

Tucci-Heron said her parents live a few minutes away from the school, so she may come back to paint more murals over her Christmas break. She has completed two of them so far.

Vosburgh said she hopes to include more teachers in the project, and while this round of painting ends this week, all bets are off when it comes to other breaks.

“I get excited for the little kids getting excited,” Daughtry said. “I just think it’s important for kids to be engaged and excited to come to school.”

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