Skyline students design, build mosaic benches to beautify Dallas park (video)

Students from multiple clusters in Skyline High School have come together on a project to beautify Ferris Park in Downtown Dallas.

With the help of teachers and community partners such as Make Art With Purpose, The Beck Group, and Osburn Commercial Concrete, Skyline students in the architecture cluster designed mosaic benches for the park. Skyline students from the construction cluster then built the mosaic and concrete benches based on the design. Students will install the benches in the park in spring.

“I think this project is really inspirational to students,” said Mrs. Hanfeld, an interior design teacher at Skyline. "It’s really nice for our students to see something happen from conception to installation.”

Janeil Englestad of Make Art With the Purpose was the driving force behind the project. She thought of involving Skyline students after being asked by Downtown Dallas Inc. to figure out ways to utilize underused city parks. She said she enjoyed watching the students tackle every aspect of the project and seeing multiple groups step up to make a difference.

“It’s really a great example of how different businesses, city government, schools and community groups can come together and have a positive impact on our city,” she said.

But the student involvement didn’t just stop at the benches: a Skyline journalism student, senior Alexis Dorado, wrote and produced a news story on the project. Watch Dorado’s video above.