A “Paradise of Colors” in a school in Nice

A tasteful graffiti adds color to the lives of the students and residents of Nice as a few days ago the beautiful mural on the facade of the 26th Primary School of Nice was completed. The work depicts a little boy and a little girl, who have their own house and are surrounded by colors and flowers.

The work was created by the painter Christos Roumeliotis, following his inspiration Association of Parents and Guardians of the 26th Primary School of Nice and of the school committee of the Primary Education of the Municipality of Nicea – Ag.I. Rentis. The striking colors and elegant design impress those who pass by the building of the complex and it has already received many positive comments from residents and students.

Speaking to APE-MPE, Mr Elias Samioseducator and chairman of the Primary School Committee, pointed out that “the school would be painted anyway because it is one of the oldest. In other words, the proper preparation was done after the walls were scraped, all loose debris was removed, primed, painted and then the graffiti began. In fact, this particular one has been illuminated with solar floodlights so that we don’t have to consume energy». According to Mr. Samios, the implementation of the idea had the help of the mayor of the city, George Ioakimeidis, who was requested to finance the project, which was completed two weeks ago.

Although the young students did not have time to enjoy their colorful school, as it was completed after the end of the school year, however, all the comments are very positive both from the children who live nearby and from the neighborhood in general. “They tell us that we have given color to the whole neighborhood and we will even plan to paint the side wall to make it complete,” said the chairman of the Primary School Committee. The project continues during this period as well, as the painter paints the upper courtyard in the same school, i.e. around the walls in the classrooms, which specific work is financed by the Parents’ Association».

The graffiti, beyond the beautiful image, it plays an important role in the psychology of children, explains Mr. Samios who has been an educator for 34 years. “The psychology of children is the main issue. To go to a school environment in which they will enter and see colors. We think it changes the mood». But the president also talks about the second positive effect from the creation of graffiti, as he typically says, in the many years he has been on the school board, he has seen the large sums spent on cleaning and maintaining school buildings, due to vandalism against times. As he found with the creation of graffiti, these kinds of actions have been eliminated, as he says, it seems that everyone respects them. The goal, concludes Mr. Samios, is to cover all schools, while similar work has already begun in some Kindergartens.

At APE-MPE, the creator of the project also spoke, the painter Christos Roumeliotisreported on “Paradise of colors” his most recent creation. “The title reflects the work itself since it has the whole palette of colors and is, I would say, like a utopia of children who make a world the way they want it. The little boy and girl in the graffiti have their own home, their own personality, their own world. It has colorful balloons inside that symbolize the idea that we can fly high without having wings. We can fly high and be happy. There are clouds that symbolize that we are in the sky, while many times the clouds take color from the sun and turn yellow changing from white or blue. Also, the stairs that exist symbolize the school and the evolution of the person who starts from the school and climbs the stairs, which sometimes are not all linear, other steps are small and others are big, as well as the difficulties and easies in life».

According to Mr. Roumeliotis, “such an initiative can only have a positive effect, since color is needed in schools and each child sees his own part through a painting, analyzes it as he wants and takes things and is influenced by what will follow later when he leaves school».

THE Maria Aravantinou-Tsimplakis, Deputy Mayor of Education A.I. Rentis-Nicaea, speaking to APE-MBE, referred to the projects that the municipality has already started in other schools of the city. “These creations give a beautiful feeling to the children as well as the local residents who happen to pass by the spots. But equally important is the fact that in this way our schools are protected from ugly graffiti and vandalism. Our goal is to cover all schools since the mayor Mr. Ioakeimidis always prioritizes education and culture“, concluded the deputy mayor of A.I. Renti-Nicaia.

Beyond the “paradise of colors”, however, another graffiti adorns the external wall of a school, with recipients not only of the school community but also of the local residents. It is a graffiti that depicts Smyrna in 1922 and was created by the same artist, on the facade of the 7th Primary School of Nice. Essentially it is an artistically simplified representation of the waterfront of Smyrna with the ships waiting. The choice to mark the 7th Primary School in this symbolic way, the respect for refugees, was not accidental, as next to the school is the Hall of the Union of Smyrna, Nice and Piraeus.

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