Honors in Action: Texas Chapter Fights Graffiti with Murals
Chapter members at Palo Alto College in San Antonio, Texas, are taking the
lead in promoting Honors
in Action and beautifying their community by painting murals
over graffiti-laden walls - and one mural promotes Phi Theta Kappa.
The
chapter members worked with city officials to create two murals on a building
near the college that has been continually tagged with graffiti. To prepare,
the chapter hosted a workshop on campus of Palo Alto College to meet the artist
and city government representatives and develop a concept.
The
chapter's mural promotes Phi Theta Kappa, the Society Hallmarks and the
rewards of education. Due to the number of volunteers who turned out, a second
mural depicting the city skyline was also painted.
Chapter
members were encouraged by positive comments from passers-by, said chapter
president Janet Green. A total of 24 chapter members joined six participants
from the City Council District, including Councilman Philip Cortez and
the artist, Juan Hernandez, to paint.
The chapter will visit
the mural site twice a year to perform any needed maintenance on the mural,
and to clean up trash and debris in the area. As of June 6, the mural had not
been tagged, Green said, although the district in which the campus and the
murals are located has the highest graffiti crime rate in San Antonio.
Chapter
members also will participate in the annual Wipe Out Graffiti citywide
event planned for September 27.
Honors in Action projects integrate
two or more Society Hallmarks of Scholarship, Leadership, Service and
Fellowship, using the resources of the Honors
Study Topic, The Paradox of Affluence: Choices, Challenges,
and Consequences; the International
Service Program, Operation Green: Improving Our Communities;
and the Leadership Development
Program.
