Randy Sibaja’s vision includes painter and eagle
By:Beth Kressel
The colorful mural that stands in Roosevelt School in Manville depicts a young man with a yellow beard. He reaches dramatically toward a brick wall to complete his spray-painted masterpiece an eagle in flight that carries a billowing United States flag.
Greg Shannon, a fourth-grade teacher at Roosevelt who started this mural project, calls it an "urban style rendering of patriotism."
Art teacher Jeff Cook, who helped transpose the original design onto a hallway wall, adds that it can be called "skateboard art."
Randy Sibaja, the fifth-grader who designed it, says it is "graffiti art" and considers his bearded creation the ultimate in "cool."
Call it what you will. This painting, which measures approximately 6 feet high and 12 feet long, is now Roosevelt tradition.
"It brightens the place up and gives the kids pride," Mr. Shannon said. "They love it and can’t wait to submit their mural proposals for next year."
The project began last winter when Mr. Shannon suggested to a group of his colleagues that they conduct a contest at Roosevelt that would culminate in the creation of a mural to foster school pride. Twenty students created a design proposal with a patriotic theme and all the school’s teachers voted on a winner.
For three weeks after school, Mr. Shannon, Mr. Cook and numerous Roosevelt students worked on transferring Randy’s vision onto a formerly white wall that faces two tiers of blue lockers. It was completed at the end of the school year.
Randy has been drawing ever since first grade, and he has been Mr. Cook’s student for five years. Mr. Cook teaches art to Manville students in kindergarten through fifth grade.
Randy is an artist of few words who, according to his two teachers "is modest about his talents."
Mr. Cook sees a bright artistic future for his muralist who will be starting as a sixth-grader at the Alexander Batcho Intermediate School in the fall, and has suggested that Randy consider a graphic arts career, such as designing covers for music recordings.
For right now though, the young artist says that more than paper, canvas or computer screens, his palette of choice is something a bit larger. "I like doing art on walls," he said.
Mr. Shannon is already planning another mural project for the fall although the theme of the painting has not yet been decided. The new mural will be painted in the same hallway as the original work.