Apex Art Club Scholars Refresh Staircase with Familiar Words

The back staircase at Apex Academy had a new look when scholars arrived for the first day of school. Over the summer, Art Teacher Martin Zeinway and a handful of students from the Art Club gathered to paint Moral Focus™ virtues for scholars to see as they enter the building.

Zeinway always wanted to incorporate mural art at Apex, as mural art is one of the topics he teaches. He connected with about eight scholars in the Art Club who had free time in the summer to help paint the stairs. While Zeinway helped organize and guide the group, the students put in all the work.



One half of the staircase lists off Moral Focus virtues while the other half helps students master counting basics, showing the progression of counting by twos and by 10s. Students were inspired by their Moral Focus classes and wanted to incorporate them into the project. Zeinway said displaying the virtues helps the concepts stay front of mind.

“It creates consistency,” Zeinway said. “They hear it in their regular classrooms, then they hear it in Moral Focus, now they can see these virtues for themselves and form their own understanding. It’s also positive reinforcement. Seeing it before you walk in the building can brighten your day.”



The group worked over the course of three weeks to complete the steps. Students grew friendships during this time and offered some the opportunity for distraction. One student had experienced a recent family death, and their mother told Zeinway having this project as an outlet was helpful.

During these three weeks, Zeinway used the basics of murals, such as drawing out the final product on a smaller scale first and working up from there. This gave students a lens into how some of their favorite murals around Cleveland were created.



When scholars returned, the staircase was a point of excitement, and many were wondering how they could be involved next time. When students learned it was an Art Club project, they were eager to join.

“It was a good experience,” Zeinway said. “They’re excited and I can’t wait to see how the next one goes.”
About Apex Academy
Apex Academy is a tuition-free, public charter school in East Cleveland, Ohio, serving students in kindergarten through eighth grade. It is part of the National Heritage Academies (NHA^®) network, which includes more than 100 tuition-free, public charter schools serving more than 65,000 students in kindergarten through high school across nine states. For more information, visit nhaschools.com.

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