Junk yard owners have pride too.
Normandy Senior High School students decided to make that a little more visible for Al’s Salvage Yard, which sits directly across from the high school on Lucas and Hunt Road.
For more than 30 years, Al’s has been a valued community business. It also houses row after row of junked cars used for salvage parts.
At a Beyond Housing youth council meeting, Normandy students brainstormed the idea to make a 60-foot mural around the yard that says, “Pride.” When the nonprofit Beyond Housing approached Al’s, the owners agreed to support the students’ idea.
On May 23, dozens of civic and business leaders of North St. Louis County attended the mural’s ribbon-cutting ceremony and reception. The mural covers a section of the yard’s fence with the word “Pride,” followed by this poem:
That’s what we have
Have faith in our community
Keep the dream alive.
Treyon Harris, who graduated from Normandy High this year, created the design for the 8-feet-tall and 60-feet-wide piece. He said pride “can take people a lot of places if they need it.”
Beyond Housing commissioned the piece for $6,000 through St Louis ArtWorks, a nonprofit that provides St. Louis youth with work experience through apprenticeships in the arts. Through ArtWorks, students from four different high schools worked together on painting the mural.
The mural is part of Beyond Housing’s work in the district through its 24:1 Initiative, which takes its name from the 24 municipalities that comprise Normandy School District.
The 24:1 Initiative stands for 24 communities with one vision: Strong Communities, Engaged Families and Successful Children. The 24:1 partnership includes elected officials, residents, community-based organizations, area businesses and the school district
“I congratulate the young people whose vision and artistic talents are shared on the 24:1 Community Mural,” said Wellston Mayor Linda Whitfield.
“Al’s Salvage has been a great stakeholder in the Wellston business community, and Jack Summers’ support of this effort is an example of how local businesses, residents and government can come together to make positive things happen.”
Stanton Lawrence, superintendent of the Normandy School District, said the project also highlights the partnership between the school district and the business community.
“The kids felt that they could do something from an artistic standpoint to make Al’s more aesthetically appealing,” he said. “Now when kids walk out of the school, they can see something that sends a positive message and that we take pride in our community.”
Starasia Finney, a Normandy senior who graduated this year, believes that pride is a positive motivator.
“My motive to do this is to give back the community and help teens take a stand for what they believe in,” she said, “and to get more people involved with education.”
The bright spots in the district are sometimes overshadowed by the unattractive spaces nearby, said Chris Krehmeyer, President/CEO of Beyond Housing.
“We believe that our youth and families deserve a view that allows them to take pride in their community and a view that complements the beautiful renovations at Normandy Senior High School,” he said. “We thank Al’s Salvage for being such a great partner in this effort.”
