NORTHAMPTON — As the school year winds down, fifth graders at Bridge Street Elementary School recently worked with Super-Stories muralist Ramiro Davaro-Comas to paint a new mural in the playground.

The mural is a gift from the graduating fifth grade to the next generation of Bridge Street students. Fifth graders and parent volunteers helped to raise money for the muralist and supplies through a GoFundMe fundraiser, and received a grant from the Northampton Arts Council.

The mural was created on a curving concrete wall that encloses the kindergarten and preschool playground. To create the art, fifth graders worked with art teacher Molly Carlisle to illustrate the kindergarteners’ ideas for how to brighten their play space. Super-Stories then turned the children’s art into a mural design, which the students painted on June 1-2 with the assistance of Davaro-Comas.

Super-Stories’ mural projects take into consideration every student’s ability, background and experience with painting, which is one of the reasons Bridge Street School opted to work with the organization. A quarter of the school’s students have disabilities, half are students of color, and one third are Hispanic/Latino. Davaro-Comas speaks fluent Spanish and integrates his experience as an immigrant student into his process so that every student understands how important art can be as a communication tool.

“I always make space for every interested student to participate by adding some paint to the final piece,” says Davaro-Comas.

For fifth graders, the mural is a way of “leaving their mark” on the school, which they can visit and remember.

“We hope it will inspire future 5th grade classes to consider raising funds to give a gift to the school as they leave, creating a virtuous cycle of community investment and philanthropy,” says parent volunteer Sienna Baskin.