The Young Innovators from Moundsville Middle School held a ribbon cutting ceremony on Wednesday morning to commemorate the grand opening of their community service project titled “Graffiti: Turning Vandalism into Art.” The three free-standing graffiti walls are located in the vacant lot on the corner of Jefferson Avenue and 2nd Street in Moundsville.
The proposal began when the middle school students enrolled in the WVU Extension Young Innovators program participated in the Mountain State Innovators Summit at Stonewall Resort this past fall. The youth pitched their innovative idea and won prizes and community/classroom grants to move them forward.
MMS students Addie Billington, Hattie Brautigan, Luke Colby, Delilah Cox, Liberty Cuffaro, Bentley Dolin, Dalton Earnest, Emma Hill, Dominic Kennen, Lily Patrello, Cash Reilly, Roxanne Ungar, Garrett Wise, Kaysi Woods and Laylah Yoho captured first place in the Betty Davis Middle School Pitch Contest titled “My Hometown is Cool!” The middle school students won $3,500 to put toward the undertaking.
This Moundsville Middle School Young Innovators project is a partnership made possible thanks to the generous contributions of the Hayhurst/Davis families in conjunction with Marshall County WVU Extension, The Benedum Foundation, Verizon, Campbell Signs & Banners, Erb Electric, City of Moundsville and the John Marshall High School Career & Technical Education Department.