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Pocono News Section
Teen Paints Community Mural for Senior Project
Teen Paints Community Mural for Senior Project - Thursday, May 13, 2010 at 04:16AM EST
Reported by: Mark Hiller
Thursday May 13 2010
0/ 5 rating
NICHOLSON, WYOMING COUNTY - A Lackawanna Trail High School student tackled a graffiti problem in her community. 17-year-old Megan Teetsel grew tired of looking at the defaced railroad wall along Route 92 in Nicholson. So, the teen turned a bit of blight into a work of art.
With paintbrush in hand, Megan Teetsel did a few touchups Thursday morning on a mural she created with the help of her family. She lives in Nicholson -- a borough well-known for its bridge. "Everything that you see in Nicholson is always the bridge. Always. I mean everything. So I figured well why not just put something with a train," said the Lackawanna Trail senior. It's an old-time railroad mural in a borough where trains still make frequent passes. It's also a borough that's been defaced in places with graffiti. One of those places is the railroad wall which had the word "think" painted in pink. "This 'think' thing has been here forever and my dad and I were talking one day and thought why not cover it up," Megan said.
And that was all the inspiration she needed for her senior project at Lackawanna Trail High School -- replace the graffiti with a work of art for the community to enjoy. Megan and her parents did most of the painting the night of May 1st and drew lots of attention.
"People were stopping," said Megan's mom, Theresa Teetsel. "I think they would have gotten out of their cars and started painting with us."
Graffiti had existed on this wall for years, but now that it's been replaced by the mural, people who drive by or those who live or work here say it's great for the community."
That includes the assistant manager at the Dollar General just down the road. Sherri St. Clair saw the painting project the night it started. "I thought it was beautiful and I thought it was amazing the way that they did it with the brushes and the little roller," said Ms. St. Clair. Maria Benedict of Nicholson noticed the mural almost immediately after it had been painted. "I think it's the nicest thing they could have done with that wall," she said. "It's beautiful."
Megan's mom couldn't be more proud of her daughter who'll soon graduate. "I couldn't ask for a better kid. I mean she's unbelievable in many ways." A teenager who hopes to inspire some community pride with her painting project "A young kid and a little bit of determination could go a long way," Megan said.
She says she hopes to add onto the mural this summer. She plans to paint the word "Nicholson" in old western-style letters on a blank slab of the wall. | | |
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