Project Makeover, organized by University of Florida students and executed by 1,100 volunteers, renovated Norton Elementary over the course of one weekend.





Daphne Blessing put the final touches on her monochromatic sketch of Thomas Edison’s face in green paint on Sunday afternoon.

Edison and other impactful leaders such as Rosa Parks, Malala Yousafzai and Tim Tebow lined the fourth and fifth grade hallway at C.W. Norton Elementary School, 2200 NW 45th Ave.

Blessing, a 20-year-old University of Florida visual arts studies junior, designed the sketches, which included inspirational quotes, as part of the student organization Project Makeover.

The student organization, which began in 2008, selects a low-income elementary school in Gainesville to transform over the course of a single weekend each year.

Executive Director Stephanie Bradley, 22, a UF accounting senior, said more than 1,100 volunteers participated this past weekend to donate books, paint interactive murals and update landscaping at the school. The group raised about $20,000 for the project through fundraising and sponsorships.

Bradley said Norton, with a student population of about 700, is one of the largest schools the project has renovated. The theme of the makeover was leadership, self-esteem and inclusion. One of the paintings above the cafeteria entrance, which welcomes students inside in sign language, is one way the organization represented the school’s deaf population.

“It’s a nice reminder to the students that everyone is thought of and welcomed here,” she said.

Blessing, one of the group’s art coordinators, said painting to showcase different leaders of all time periods and backgrounds will help the students understand they can also become leaders.

“It reaches both the teachers’ and students’ generations,” she said. “Yesterday one of the teachers came down the hallway, and she was so excited to see Eleanor Roosevelt included, who was an inspiration for her growing up. She said she can’t wait to tell her students about her.”

Down the hall, Ariel Ellis, 20, added purple highlights to a sketch of Anne Frank. The UF senior studying biology said she had a personal reason she wanted to become involved in the project.

“I went to an elementary school that didn’t have the funds to do this,” she said. “Being able to see the impact this will have on the kids is exciting.”

Across the school— past a rainbow outdoor amphitheater and a hopscotch painting that features positive self-esteem words on all the spaces, Matt Whitman, 21, finished painting the largest mural he’d ever worked on.

The 53-foot long painting in the outdoor courtyard featured a castle to represent the Norton mascot, the Knights, the land surrounding it and forests.

Whitman, a UF telecommunication production junior, said about 20 other volunteers helped with foreground work to bring the painting to life.

“I love to give back, and it was nice to use these skills I already have to provide these kids a nicer place to play in,” he said.

Bradley, the organization’s executive director, said her favorite project the team worked on at Norton was fixing up the outdoor classroom, a space where students can now sit on wood benches surrounded by pine trees for lessons.

“It was so overgrown you couldn’t even walk through it,” she said. “Now they’re able to be outside to learn about wildlife and ecosystems.

“It’ so amazing to see these schools in Gainesville,” she continued. “I think that’s the other biggest thing for me, it really shows students that Gainesville is more than just UF.”