Eighth Grade Four Point Mural 2024
Behind the Scenes: Creation of the Mural
Written by Gould's Class of 2028
Maine Adaptive helps people with disabilities get active and participate in more sports. They are largely known for their work on the mountain with adaptive skiers, but their winter sports also include snowshoeing, climbing, and nordic skiing. In the summer they have a lot of outdoor activities as well including: paddling, golf, cycling, tennis, pickleball, and mountain biking, several of which are pictured in the mural you’re looking at! All of these activities are made possible due to all of the great volunteers that donate their time to work with the students and their families. A lot of these volunteers found this program through family or friends that either volunteer or are in the program, and many have been helping Maine Adaptive for years.
One volunteer we worked with has just finished his 32nd year of volunteering. When asked for comment, Thomas Beaulieu reflected, “I guess the biggest reason I got involved with the program was because I had a brother with cerebral palsy [a condition that affects posture and body movement]. I thought it would be cool to get him on the mountain one day. I have to thank him because I don't know if I would have gotten involved if he didn't have that challenge.” He is a downhill ski instructor who teaches students in bi-skis and mono-skis.
John Reilly, who has been volunteering for 15 years, specializes in working with students who have vision impairments or are developmentally disabled. He is also an alpine coach for Maine Adaptive. All of these volunteers that we spoke with feel a sense of community and family.
Emma Koukos offered her thoughts:: “I love the people I get to work with – students, staff, and other volunteers! We all get to see each other learn, gain confidence, and have fun together through activities we love!” You might wonder how you, too, can help, even if you don’t live near Bethel. There’s more ways than you might think! For more information, keep reading!
Gould Academy, just down the road from Maine Adaptive’s in-town location, was curious too. In the 2023-24 school year, we (the middle school students) developed a connection with the people and the organization through several visits, a viewing of the movie Full Circle at our local theater, and we even had the opportunity to try out some of the on-snow adaptive equipment. These experiences have given us an inside view of the adaptive approach to athletics. It's not just about making sure access is available; it's about getting people with disabilities out there, having a blast on the slopes, waterways, trails, or biking paths. This partnership is about sharing a dream where everyone feels included and empowered to enjoy outdoor adventures. With many experiences and plenty of support, it's not just about having fun; it's about personal growth and feeling fantastic about ourselves.
Doing this project with Maine Adaptive shows Gould’s goals of curiosity, courage, kindness, and creativity proving that when we come together, we can make sure everyone has an amazing time.
The 8th grade students at Gould continued to grow our respect and knowledge of Maine Adaptive’s positive contributions to the community and for helping others access the outdoors. We wanted to help spread the message. In order to do that, we needed to focus on Maine Adaptive’s vision. Our group engaged in several design sessions, gathering information about what was most important to Maine Adaptive to convey. Ultimately, the need for volunteers to make it all possible and the variety of activities available were the areas of focus Maine Adaptive wanted to communicate through our artwork.
We couldn’t do it on our own, so we enlisted the help of Artists for Humanity (AFH) in Boston, an organization that works to harness the power of mentorship and professional experiences to inspire teens to build their future while also transforming communities through creative expression. It seemed like the perfect fit for our project, so we brought our ideas to their mentors, who guided us through the entire process. We ended with a two-day visit to the physical space, where we brought our ideas to life.
Day one provided an introduction to everything we would be doing during our time at AFH. We started with a tour of the building and got to view some of the pieces that AFH artists had created over the years, including a huge mural for the CRISPR lab next door. We also got to start painting the murals we had designed. We split into different groups, but everyone helped. We got a solid amount done on day one. On day two, our group painted for almost three hours, and the product you see here was the completed work from that day!
In order to render the canvas you see here, acrylic paint and three stretch canvases, each 3ft by 3ft were used. We painted them in the studio at Artists for Humanity, Boston. One issue that prevents more people from seeing our message is that these canvases can only be displayed indoors.
If you love the outdoors and being active, or if you can imagine what it might be like to have access to doing something you love, there are ways you can help! Maine Adaptive cannot function without folks like you who are willing to physically support their efforts. It takes a village! Another way to help is by making a donation. Adaptive equipment is not cheap, but Maine Adaptive works hard to make activities accessible to everyone regardless of financial status. As well, they would love to create another version of this mural that can withstand the elements to hang outside their Sunday River building on South Ridge so more people can key in to the incredible work they do. We are hoping to be able to earn money through donations for Maine Adaptive so that they can have an indoor/outdoor version of our mural, broadening the amount of viewers.
Please consider taking a minute to donate, even if it’s just the cost of a waffle or a hot chocolate. Thank you!
Maine Adaptive helps people with disabilities get active and participate in more sports. They are largely known for their work on the mountain with adaptive skiers, but their winter sports also include snowshoeing, climbing, and nordic skiing. In the summer they have a lot of outdoor activities as well including: paddling, golf, cycling, tennis, pickleball, and mountain biking, several of which are pictured in the mural you’re looking at! All of these activities are made possible due to all of the great volunteers that donate their time to work with the students and their families. A lot of these volunteers found this program through family or friends that either volunteer or are in the program, and many have been helping Maine Adaptive for years.
One volunteer we worked with has just finished his 32nd year of volunteering. When asked for comment, Thomas Beaulieu reflected, “I guess the biggest reason I got involved with the program was because I had a brother with cerebral palsy [a condition that affects posture and body movement]. I thought it would be cool to get him on the mountain one day. I have to thank him because I don't know if I would have gotten involved if he didn't have that challenge.” He is a downhill ski instructor who teaches students in bi-skis and mono-skis.
John Reilly, who has been volunteering for 15 years, specializes in working with students who have vision impairments or are developmentally disabled. He is also an alpine coach for Maine Adaptive. All of these volunteers that we spoke with feel a sense of community and family.
Emma Koukos offered her thoughts:: “I love the people I get to work with – students, staff, and other volunteers! We all get to see each other learn, gain confidence, and have fun together through activities we love!” You might wonder how you, too, can help, even if you don’t live near Bethel. There’s more ways than you might think! For more information, keep reading!
Gould Academy, just down the road from Maine Adaptive’s in-town location, was curious too. In the 2023-24 school year, we (the middle school students) developed a connection with the people and the organization through several visits, a viewing of the movie Full Circle at our local theater, and we even had the opportunity to try out some of the on-snow adaptive equipment. These experiences have given us an inside view of the adaptive approach to athletics. It's not just about making sure access is available; it's about getting people with disabilities out there, having a blast on the slopes, waterways, trails, or biking paths. This partnership is about sharing a dream where everyone feels included and empowered to enjoy outdoor adventures. With many experiences and plenty of support, it's not just about having fun; it's about personal growth and feeling fantastic about ourselves.
Doing this project with Maine Adaptive shows Gould’s goals of curiosity, courage, kindness, and creativity proving that when we come together, we can make sure everyone has an amazing time.
The 8th grade students at Gould continued to grow our respect and knowledge of Maine Adaptive’s positive contributions to the community and for helping others access the outdoors. We wanted to help spread the message. In order to do that, we needed to focus on Maine Adaptive’s vision. Our group engaged in several design sessions, gathering information about what was most important to Maine Adaptive to convey. Ultimately, the need for volunteers to make it all possible and the variety of activities available were the areas of focus Maine Adaptive wanted to communicate through our artwork.
We couldn’t do it on our own, so we enlisted the help of Artists for Humanity (AFH) in Boston, an organization that works to harness the power of mentorship and professional experiences to inspire teens to build their future while also transforming communities through creative expression. It seemed like the perfect fit for our project, so we brought our ideas to their mentors, who guided us through the entire process. We ended with a two-day visit to the physical space, where we brought our ideas to life.
Day one provided an introduction to everything we would be doing during our time at AFH. We started with a tour of the building and got to view some of the pieces that AFH artists had created over the years, including a huge mural for the CRISPR lab next door. We also got to start painting the murals we had designed. We split into different groups, but everyone helped. We got a solid amount done on day one. On day two, our group painted for almost three hours, and the product you see here was the completed work from that day!
In order to render the canvas you see here, acrylic paint and three stretch canvases, each 3ft by 3ft were used. We painted them in the studio at Artists for Humanity, Boston. One issue that prevents more people from seeing our message is that these canvases can only be displayed indoors.
If you love the outdoors and being active, or if you can imagine what it might be like to have access to doing something you love, there are ways you can help! Maine Adaptive cannot function without folks like you who are willing to physically support their efforts. It takes a village! Another way to help is by making a donation. Adaptive equipment is not cheap, but Maine Adaptive works hard to make activities accessible to everyone regardless of financial status. As well, they would love to create another version of this mural that can withstand the elements to hang outside their Sunday River building on South Ridge so more people can key in to the incredible work they do. We are hoping to be able to earn money through donations for Maine Adaptive so that they can have an indoor/outdoor version of our mural, broadening the amount of viewers.
Please consider taking a minute to donate, even if it’s just the cost of a waffle or a hot chocolate. Thank you!
Independent High School for Boys and Girls | Grades 9-12, Postgraduate and Winter Term for Grades 7-8 | Boarding School in the Mountains of Maine
Gould Academy guides students to be creative, courageous and resilient and to lead lives of fulfillment and purpose.
Gould Academy guides students to be creative, courageous and resilient and to lead lives of fulfillment and purpose.
