Mural helps Rego Park school shine

Administrators at Our Savior Lutheran School in Rego Park wanted attention and they got it.

The educational institution has occupied the same location at 64-33 Woodhaven Blvd. for more than 60 years, but was hardly noticed by passersby on the busy street, according to Principal Debra Neibling, but all that changed recently after a new mural was painted on the side of the building.

The school commissioned the brightly colored, oval-shaped design, which depicts children of multiple cultures and nationalities standing in a beautiful garden above city buildings and surrounded by a rainbow. Written on the mural along with the school’s name and contact information is its philosophy of Christian values, academic excellence and a secure environment.

Asked what she thought upon seeing the completed mural for the first time, Niebling said, “Wow, it really added to the school.”

Michael Kapcio, president of the church council, which oversees the school board, expressed similar sentiments.

“Everyone was just amazed at how it came out,” he said. “It’s so bright and so attractive and really depicts the basis of the school with its family-like caring environment.”

George Alonso, a decorative painter from the Garden Bay section of East Elmhurst, created the design and started the mural in August, completing it near the end of November at a cost of approximately $3,000, which the school collected through fundraising efforts.

“As he was doing it, cars were passing by and people that own businesses were asking him if he could do a mural for them,” Niebling said. “So, he was getting distracted and he was getting more jobs out of this.”

The painting is proving to be a wise investment as it may have already paid for itself. It caught the eye of a potential student’s mother when she was passing by, prompting her to stop in for application information. That one child’s annual tuition would cover the entire cost of the mural.

Kapcio said the school chose to have a professional artist paint the mural instead of the students because they aren’t old enough to tackle such a project. But, he noted that smaller artworks by the children are displayed throughout the building.

The school houses 116 students from a nursery program for 3-year-olds through the eighth grade. Though it is a Lutheran school, enrollment is open to children of all cultures and religions.

The school’s administration hopes the mural will help bring in more pupils, as enrollment has declined over the last several years due to the slowed economy. Ideally, they would like to have 150 students, Niebling said.

“We understand that parents are having financial troubles because of the economy — who’s losing their job, who’s moving away because they lost their job, who’s just having a hard time paying their bills,” Kapcio said. “It’s a difficult time and as Christians, we try to be as accommodating as possible.”