In Liberty’s art hallway, a new banner hangs. “SILVER LININGS,” it announces, pointing to a poster on the wall. Somewhere else in the building, a student finds a silver packet hidden in a dark corner. They pick it up, curious, and open the pop-tart-sized bag. Inside is a little star painted with bright colors. A message on it reads, “You Are Beautiful.”
The Creation
The Silver Linings project is an initiative launched by Liberty’s Art Department that hides small positive messages (in the form of art) around the school for students to find. The art is created by students in Liberty’s art classes, and are stored in small silver packets, hence the name Silver Linings. “It’s almost like the golden ticket in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory,” says Shannon Mitchell, an art teacher at Liberty. Mitchell came up with the idea, and pitched it to the rest of the department, where it gained traction and became a full project. “I presented it and it wasn’t fully fleshed out,” said Mitchell about her original idea. “Mr. Young came up with the name and Mrs. Tyran had these packaging materials for digital art.” The packaging materials Mitchell mentions are the silver wrapping that gives the project its shiny name.
Building Community
Mitchell says that her idea for the project came after the passing of AJ Mathy, who was a Liberty student and, as Mitchell states, an inspirational part of the school community. In the following weeks, Mitchell saw a lack of unified support network in the Liberty community. “There is support amongst friend groups and in certain classrooms, but not schoolwide or in the hallways,” Mitchell said. “[There are] times I talk to students who are struggling with the same things, but nobody is talking to each other so they can’t find support.”
Mitchell hopes that the Silver Linings project can bring a sense of community by encouraging students to be present and connected to their environments. According to her, establishing a physical connection to the school through activities like a Silver Linings scavenger hunt can push students towards building a support network that their peers can rely on. “A lot of times [when there is lack of community] teachers are looked at for guidance, and the reality is that education is a two-way street where teachers are also getting inspired by students, “Mitchell says. Mitchell believes that it is important for students, not teachers, to create safe spaces so that “there is no facade.”
“We have to be willing to shake things up a little bit, but that’s not part of our school culture. Everyone’s afraid to stand out or do
something different,” Mitchell says. “The thing about AJ that stuck with me is that he did that for a lot of people. He was unafraid to be kind.”
The Future of Silver Linings
As for the future of the project, Mitchell says that the art department is still waiting for feedback from the first “drop” of Silver Linings. “The goal would be to do a couple drops a quarter, maybe semester,” Mitchell says. As for now, her 4/5 period Jewelry I class will be making more Silver Linings along with other art students. “I think it was a great idea to uplift people,” says Lila Bendick, who created a Silver Linings piece in Mitchell’s class. “I hope that whoever finds [my piece] will feel beautiful and they will share it with other people who may be feeling sad or down.” Lila’s art piece is a little star painted with bright colors. A message on it reads, “You Are Beautiful.”
