The McLean High School art classes have been using their amazing talents to decorate the sidewalks of the rock entrance. They spent the day using chalk, water, and paint brushes to raise awareness.

“We are doing drawings of endangered animals to celebrate earth day and raise awareness of the endangered species,” said Swapna Elias, one of the McLean art teachers, “they have chosen their animals, and they had to do research the animal to find out why it’s endangered and what its major threat is.

The art is displayed on the sidewalks of the rock entrance because there is the most foot traffic there.

“People will see them when school is done as they leave. There is a lot of traffic here,” said Elias.

Choosing a location with heavy foot traffic normally wouldn’t be the best place to display chalk. The soles of the students shoes will wear the art down so that it no longer is visible. This was by design.

“It’s also a conceptual thing because as people walk over it and the rain falls and washes it away, it is symbolic of how animals are also disappearing from the face of the planet,” said Elias.

With impending rain in the forecast the art may only be visible for one day.

Photos by: Julia McElligott