As part of the implementation of the Chattanooga Design Your Neighborhood Curriculum students at Eastlake Academy installed art work to enhance their urban environment. The final murals, designed by students through local artist, Jasmine LeBlanc, include two different designs. The first solution focused on carpool traffic lanes. The campus has wide parking lots that often caused for random traffic behavior that was often not safe. The students designed dynamic traffic lanes that not only brought color to the grounds, catch the eye of any driver but also directed carpool and bus traffic to move in a more organized manner. The second mural is a cross walk that highlights of the the subjects of pride at the school and duals as a banner for the school campus.

After classwork workshops and group review the students were able to select their final designs and help install the murals. Seeing how they can implement change to their urban environment in real time.

Teal Thibaud previously worked with Hamilton County Schools on a project-based learning program which has now been adopted by their Innovation Department. She is able to combine this experience with her understanding of community-informed planning and the school system in this unique project. The curriculum, which has been updated for Chattanooga, includes 140 hours of hands-on lessons taught in traditional classroom settings, allowing for neighborhood tours, mapping exercises, games, and collaborative group projects. The program also supports teachers by providing training, project materials, and access to a network of design professionals as classroom volunteers.