Graffiti for good: Bathroom stalls at P.E.I. school covered with positive art

A school in western P.E.I. has a lot of graffiti in the bathrooms, but no one is upset about it.

The outside of many bathroom stalls at St. Louis Elementary School are covered with positive messages like, "Shoot for the moon. Even if you miss, you'll land among the stars."

The students are enjoying the artwork, said school principal Marsha Costello.

"The kids absolutely love it, the older kids definitely get the deeper meaning."

The idea came about last year, Costello said.

"We have a small but mighty home and school here and they're always looking for new and creative ways to touch base and engage the students."

Last year, one of the members of the Home and School Association painted a large mural outside near the lobby area with the message, "Be the nice kid."

Another member of the association, Jennifer Pizio Perry, thought it would be a good idea to put artwork in the elementary school bathrooms, Costello said.

"Every kid goes into the bathroom on a daily basis."

The murals Pizio Perry painted on the outside of the stall doors are the first thing students see when they enter the bathroom. 

"It's very visually appealing. You see all those messages when you go into the bathroom because you see every stall door when you walk in."

Combating negative messages

Costello thinks this is a small thing they can do at the school to offset many of the negative messages that come through on a daily basis, she said.

"If we think about social media, unfortunately it's not always used to make us feel great about ourselves."

Children can be exposed to negative messaging all the time if they have a cellphone or other devices, Costello said.

"I think that the world needs to be plastered with positive messages that really speak to kids, because they need to know at the end of the day it doesn't matter who said what, you are a wonderful person."

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