ORLANDO, Fla. – While using a brush and a variety of colorful paints, Freedom High School senior Zaphra Ward had a specific vision for her artwork.
That vision was a mandala showing what life has been like so far this year.
“I thought this year’s occurrences and events have been pretty wild. We’ve had COVID-19, we’ve had the Black Lives Matter movement,” Ward said.
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Ward, 17, is one of the 44 seniors in Central Florida to win the “Paint Your Pointe” art competition where seniors can design their own parking spot at the International Drive entertainment center garage.
That gave Colonial High School senior Andrew Graham a chance to show off his school spirit and give his classmates a special message.
He wrote “just breathe” on the ground using his school colors.
“Especially during these times, and all the times, it’s always okay to take a break and just breathe you don’t always need to be go, go, go,” Graham said.
Joanne Helbourg with Pointe Orlando said this was a special event for the class of 2021 since many students are still taking virtual classes at home because of the virus.
“This year has been COVID and racial injustice and (the) election season and all of this stuff these kids are worried about and that doesn’t define them. They are still seniors and they are still going off to school they can still change the world,” Helbourg said.