• Bronze Award Project at Wildomar Elementary

Let me begin by saying that one of the best parts about writing Wildomar Rap is being in a position to meet interesting people. Sometimes they're older and very accomplished, other times they're young and basically just starting out in life. 

Mikayla alongside the finished mural

Today meet ten year old Mikayla. She's a 5th grader at Wildomar Elementary and recently completed a Girl Scout Bronze Award project on the campus. The idea stemmed from the theme of a school assembly: Be Your Own Superhero.

During the early stages of the project, drawing the image onto the wall.

It was originally going to be one mural, but then blossomed into more than half a dozen murals throughout the school.

Being the current secretary of the Wildomar Rotary Club, I had the chance to chat with Mikayla before she started the project. She was looking for donations and I was the one that heard her presentation.

This meeting was at The Bean in early October when Mikayla discussed the project she had in mind, looking for donations. She was well prepared for the meeting, as she was the day she showed me the finished project.

She's been in the Girl Scouts for a year and a half, in the junior level. (Hint: junior level wears a green vest).

Mikayla poses with the supplies.

Mikayla gave me a tour of the work she oversaw and then answered some questions for this blog.

Her inspiration for this project was her own experience with being bullied. As she explained it, she's been bullied and seen others suffer bullying at the hands of others. She wants to bring awareness to her school and the community.

More than thirty people helped Mikayla with this project.

I asked her which part of the project she enjoyed most, her response was, "My favorite part about this project [has been] meeting all the people that have helped me. Without them, none of this would have been possible." 

Time for a group shot... say "Cheeeeeese"! ☺

She told me that the most difficult part of the project was "learning how to communicate [...] with people in person and in email" but now feels confident in such situations. 

This No Bullying mural can be seen from the blacktop.

In addition to learning how to communicate better during this project, she also listed, "how to manage a project from start to finish, how to express myself [...] through art and painting, the importance of how you treat people, and friendship."

Posing under one of the finished murals.

She received donations from Wildomar Rotary ($100), Lowe's donated much of the supplies, Diversified Landscape and Consultetech also chipped in. 

If only people would pay attention to such advice...

I asked her if she had any additional thoughts to add to the blog and she said, "Yes, I want to thank everybody who helped me through this project. My mom and dad, Ms. Connelly my Assistant Principal, Mr. Hoffmann my Principal, Wildomar Student Council, Britney Drysler and the Interacters from Temescal Canyon High School, April Watkins, (I might say your last name wrong) Joseph Morabito and the Wildomar Rotary, Miss Grace, Lisa Cabrera in Lakeland Community Center. For the materials Lowe's, Diversified Landscape and Consultetech." 

It's not all that difficult to be nice to people... 

Mikayla has been part of THINK Together at Wildomar Elementary for a couple of years now. As it happens, back in Spring of 2017 she was one of the key participants in a promotional video for the Justine Lee Pesicka Memorial 5K at Marna O'Brien Park.

Mikayla is part of a new Girl Scout troop lead by her mom Sonni LeGault, Troop 1929. The girls are in grades 4th through 8th, and go to schools in both Wildomar and Lake Elsinore. They meet once or twice a month on Sundays. 

Words to live by.

If you have a daughter that age, and are interested in her possibly joining Troop 1929, be sure to send Sonni an email: slegault1118@yahoo.com

•                •                •

Courage is fire, and bullying is smoke.
– Benjamin Disraeli 

Wildomar Rap is neither smoke nor fire... if anything, it's closer to steam coming off a demitasse of espresso.

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