VENICE : Wounds Heal as Oakwood Fixes School

Murals depicting colorful jungle scenes seem to jump off the once-bland walls, and new trees and flowers have replaced dying shrubs--just two of the signs that Venice’s Oakwood neighborhood is reclaiming its school.

About 1,500 volunteers--parents, students, teachers, community activists--gave Broadway Elementary School a face lift last weekend.

The scene was reminiscent of an old-fashioned barn-raising, complete with food and music for the workers, who--among other things--repainted hallways, installed new screens and rewired electrical systems.

For Venice’s Oakwood community, terrorized by gang violence last year, the event represented the healing of wounds.

“Last year, we were teaching kids what to do when they heard bullets,” said kindergarten teacher Margaret Turner. “Now it’s a different feeling, working together. And that is what led to the change.”

The International Community Service Day Foundation, an Oakland-based nonprofit group, provided electricians, gardeners, artists and other volunteers to help organize the campus make-over.

Each year, the foundation accepts applications from U.S. and Canadian schools interested in attracting neighborhood residents to help improve their campuses. The foundation will help renovate Monague Street School in Pacoima nextweekend.

In Venice, foundation volunteers, school staff and residents began planning the renovation two months ago. Volunteers held bake sales, a carwash and auctions, raising $16,000. Corporate sponsors chipped in additional funds, and the Los Angeles Unified School District donated paint.

Armando Soriano brought his wife and three children to help paint. “I told my family that we have to help,” said Soriano, whose children attend the school. “I think my kids are going to remember this when they grow up.”

Sabrina Wheat, 9, worked on one of Broadway’s masterpieces--a mural depicting dolphins dancing in blue ocean waves. “My friends aren’t gonna believe I painted this,” she said.