Brightening up a school for young minds

The HR team volunteered during Month of Service at KIPP Prize Preparatory Academy. KIPP is a free, open-enrollment, public charter school in San Jose, California. 46% of the students are English language learners and 88% qualify for free and reduced-price meals. The school principal shared with us that she would like to create an environment for her students that’s just as nice as other better funded schools.

It was our job to add color to the school campus. We painted dull-colored doors with more upbeat colors and added the school value symbols on classroom doors. We also painted a large mural with the school mantra to work hard and be nice.

The highlight for me was when the kids shared that they liked the new look of the school. One young boy said to me, “You are such a good artist. It looks beautiful,” which made my day. Another student commented how much better the school was looking and thanked me. I felt that I made a difference and am proud that SAP supports volunteer work and beautification projects at schools with less resources.

We had a great time as a team and are ready to go back to paint more colorful happy walls.