Way to Go! East Islip student paints patriotic mural
Kiersten Galli, a student at East Islip High School, pained a patriotic mural with her mother and grandfather at VFW Post 2937. Credit: East Islip School District
An East Islip High School student has shown her appreciation for veterans in a vibrant way.
Kiersten Galli, a sophomore, recently collaborated to create a mural of the American flag on the side of a shed on the property of Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 2937 in Medford. She was assisted by her mother, Janice, and her grandfather James Guerrasio, who has been a member of the VFW Post for more than 30 years, the family said.
The patriotic project was completed in honor of U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Keith Bishop, a Medford native who was killed in action in 2009 while serving in Afghanistan. The VFW post was also recently renamed in his honor.
"I think it came out really great," Galli, 15, said of the finished mural. "It’s really beautiful, and I'm so glad that we could help and have this opportunity to make it."
Galli, a Girl Scout, also plays clarinet in school ensembles and is a member of the National Art Honor Society and Students Against Destructive Decisions Club, known as SADD.
"We are so proud of Kiersten … and we love that she worked with her family on a collaborative mural," said East Islip art teacher Heather Toomey. "She used her artistic skills to take a rustic shed and turn it into a patriotic mural to beautify the local community and honor our veterans. This is the epitome of what art service is."
— MICHAEL R. EBERT
Michael R. Ebert is an education researcher and has worked for Newsday in various capacities since 2003. He was part of an 11-person team named as 2008 Pulitzer Prize finalists for investigative coverage of the LIRR's platform safety issues.
Remembering 9/11: Where things stand now As we remember those we lost on 9/11, we're looking at the ongoing battle to secure long term protection for first responders and the latest twists and turns in the casesof the accused terrorists.
Remembering 9/11: Where things stand now As we remember those we lost on 9/11, we're looking at the ongoing battle to secure long term protection for first responders and the latest twists and turns in the casesof the accused terrorists.
