CARROLLTON, Va — Sentara St. Luke's in Carrollton just unveiled a brand new mural that showcases the rich history of Isle of Wight County.
"We are excited to show you guys the mural that Sentara was able to partner with Smithfield High School's fine arts department and the history department on designing and painting for us," says Tricia Christoffer, director of Operations of Ambulatory Service Centers for St. Lukes.
This was Isle of Wight County School's first project for the nationwide America250 project. It highlights the importance local history has played in the founding of our country.
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"We realized the opportunity to engage our students across multiple subjects is a fantastic opportunity," said Zachary Kempf, history teacher at Smithfield high school.
The mural is located inside the community room and nonprofit organizations can reserve this room for free, according to Christoffer.
"We were wanting to bring some more life to this space. One of our opportunities was to be able to have this mural represent different elements of the history here in Isle of Wight," said Christoffer.
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"It feels really good, um, a little exciting. But it feels really great to know that I was able to help with expressing our history to other people who may come in and see it," said Avery Elliot, a junior at Smithfield high school. She was one of more than 60 art and history students involved in the mural project.
Kempf said they picked out staples of Isle of Wight County to showcase. You can see the mansion on Main Street in Smithfield and St. Luke's historic church. There's also Windsor Castle, Smithfield Station and the Schoolhouse Museum. And of course, the pigs!
QR codes will be added to the mural. You can scan them with your phone to learn more about the painting. The school will add more artwork to St. Lukes here soon!
