- Public Art Club gave Principal Janice Chen a handmade welcome gift on Oct. 18.
- The gift consisted of a jar that PAC officers and members decorated to look like a pineapple. It contained paper stars, candy and capsules with welcome notes from around 25 clubs on campus.
- In the future, PAC hopes to continue brightening Lynbrook through community art projects.
Principal Janice Chen joined Public Art Club at their weekly lunch meeting on Oct. 15 to receive a personalized gift. Featuring unique handmade elements from PAC and around 25 other clubs on campus, it welcomed Chen into her first year as principal.
PAC made a clear jar into a pineapple. Green paper sprouted from the lid, and squares of yellow paint and cheery designs — from stripes to “Welcome to Lynbrook” messages — decorated the body. Along with paper stars and candy, the jar contained small plastic capsules with clubs’ welcome messages.
“We decided to make a pineapple jar because Principal Chen is from Hawaii,” senior and PAC president Yuyao Wen said. “We wanted to also add representation from different clubs at Lynbrook.”
The idea arose during an August officer meeting, inspired by PAC’s present last year to former Principal Maria Jackson: a painting of a tree with paper leaves from numerous clubs and the message, “Thank you for helping us grow.”
“I thought since we did a farewell gift for Jackson, we should also do a welcome gift for Dr. Chen,” senior and PAC secretary Xiaoya Gao said.
PAC created the gift with materials from club adviser Charlotte Kruk and existing club and officer supplies. Officers contacted every club on campus, and Wen invited Chen to drop by PAC. At weekly meetings before Chen’s visit, members folded stars for the jar and decorated leaves and squares.
“It was really fun to create something that our new principal would have to remind her that we’re glad that she’s here,” sophomore and PAC member Catherine Jian said.
Officers did face one obstacle: Homecoming. With Kruk at staff skit practices, they found ways to hold meetings in other classrooms and the quad. Officers also met separately to add finishing touches.
“There was a little bit of a time crunch at the end,” Wen said. “But when it all came together, I was really proud of what we accomplished.”
Finally, the pineapple jar changed hands from PAC to Chen. It now resides in Chen’s office, adorning her desk.
“I love the candy and the little notes inside,” Chen said. “They’re a nice special treat that I open up every now and then when I feel like I need a little pick-me-up.”
PAC hopes to continue brightening Lynbrook through community art projects. They are floating ideas like staff appreciation gifts and campus murals for their next endeavor.
“The gift was a lovely surprise,” Chen said. “It was so special because it was very personalized, and I could tell students put a lot of thought and time into creating it. I felt really welcomed. I felt very, very cared for.”
