Samuel Gompers Middle School Students Win $1,000 for Traffic Safety Mural

LOS ANGELES - Students at Samuel Gompers Middle School in Los Angeles took first place in the Traffic Safety Mural competition sponsored by the LAPD and Automobile Club of Southern California. They won $1,000 for their artistic effort to raise traffic safety awareness among young teens.

The competition, open to Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) middle schools, required art students to design and paint a wall-size mural depicting positive themes of traffic safety awareness affecting their classmates and school neighborhood. The winning theme, “Safety First Wear Your Helmet” features a student wearing a helmet riding on a scooter emphasizing safe riding, according Rick Lalor, the Auto Club’s Motor Sports Manager.

Principal David Garcia said four students created and painted the winning mural. They are Breyanna Chase, Earnika Clemmons, Gustavo Gonzalez, and Jesus Zuniga who said they plan to pursue careers in the art field. Their teacher is Tom Benson.

The Samuel Gompers team was the smallest group of students to participate in the competition. Runners up at Wilmington Middle School had eight students and John Muir Middle School had 12 students working on their murals.

The Auto Club and LAPD sponsored the Traffic Safety Mural Project, in conjunction with the Los Angeles Unified School District. Vista Paint donated the paint to the schools and Otis School of Art and Design judged the murals.