Huntington students paint town landmarks on LIRR trestle

A blank train trestle has become the canvas for Huntington's latest public art project, thanks to a group of middle schoolers.

Last spring, a group of students and educators from Birchwood Intermediate School in South Huntington proposed beautifying the trestle under the Long Island Rail Road overpass on New York Avenue and Railroad Street in Huntington Station. 

The art project started with a civics lesson first. "We first had to go to the town. We met with the supervisor and several others" in April, said Annie Michaelian, who was assistant principal at Birchwood when the project was conceived. "They were immediately like, 'This is great. It's going to look awesome.' "

The group then got approval from the MTA, which owns the walls of the overpass. Aboff's of Huntington donated the supplies and paint. And work began in earnest over weekends this summer, with a dedicated group of third-, fourth- and fifth-graders and their parents helping out.

"The mural is leaving an impression on all those visiting and traveling through Huntington Station," said town supervisor Chad Lupinacci in a news release. "My office has been receiving calls and emails about the mural and people are delighted to see it, they tell us it makes them happy and it puts a smile on their faces as they drive by."

To create the mural, the students were inspired by the town's landmarks. "We had them all think about Huntington and what makes it beautiful. We had them draw out sketches. They chose the lighthouse, the Heckscher Park entrance," Michaelian said.

The sketches were compiled and transferred onto the overpass to be traced and painted. Nicole Franz, a Birchwood parent and professional artist, helped with the technical aspects. "They had an amazing vision but never had anyone who could put it on the wall," said Franz, who works in mixed-media collages. "The kids were fully involved. We really stuck to exactly what they drew." She added that she did not want to make the artwork look professional. "It has to look childlike — that’s the whole vibe of the mural."

Barbara Wright, a Birchwood teacher who suggested the mural idea after her daughter's Girl Scout troop had done the same project with a Blue Point overpass, said the students feel real ownership over the project. "It was all done by kids. The kids drew every aspect of it," she said. "I think it's very satisfying for them to see when we pass by."

"The impact it has on the kids, the gift of the community — we were there every weekend in August and we could hear people beeping and saying 'thank you so much.' " Michaelian said. "It was just beautiful."