A
SSOCIATED
N
EWSPAPERS OF
M
ICHIGAN
P
AGE
5
February 8, 2018
I
NKSTER
- R
OMULUS
Legislator explains ‘no’ vote on bill
Art smart
Student artists create mural for class
State Rep. Jewell Jones (D-
Inkster) voted no on a series of
bills last week that would crimi-
nalize targeting a victimbased on
his or her occupation as a police
officer, firefighter or emergency
medical services personnel,
whether they held that position
or not. House Bills 4585, 4590 and
4591 were voted out of the House
last week and will now be sent to
the Senate for their considera-
tion.
“I find it curious how my col-
leagues on the other side of the
aisle closed out 2017 by attacking
police and firefighters' health
care, yet now suddenly they're
working so hard to protect them.
Something just isn't adding up
here,” said Jones, a member of
the Inkster Auxiliary Police
Department. “Our police and
firefighters risk their lives every
day to keep us safe. They don't
deserve to be used as political
fodder whenever it is convenient,
which is unfortunately what
these bills seemed to be doing.”
Under the bill package, com-
monly touted as the “Blue Lives
Matter” bill package, if a person
targets a victim because he or
she is perceived to be a firefight-
er, law enforcement officer, cor-
rections officer or emergency
services personal, the penalty
would be a felony, punishable by
up to two years in prison. HB
4591 updates state sentencing
guidelines to reflect the penalties
as reflected in each of the other
two bills.
“Not only is it already a crime
to assault a police officer or fire-
fighter, but we enter murky
waters when we begin creating
new felonies without ensuring
they receive a serious penalty in
line with the laws currently on
the books.
“I simply can't imagine why
these bills are necessary, if not to
politicize our men and women in
uniform,” Jones said. “These bills
seem to be a solution in search of
a problem more than anything
else, and our police and firefight-
ers deserve better than political
gestures like this.”
An old chemistry classroom at
Romulus High School recently got a
makeover including a stunning mural
painted by art students which has become
the talk of the school.
The newly-painted room is now where
art students meet for instruction and
inspiration from painter and veteran
teacher Shanda Easterling, who leads the
art program.
The visual fine arts program is one of
the most popular extracurricular classes
at the school, administrators noted, and
includes several offerings like Art
Foundation, Art and Logic, Drawing 1 and
2, Design and Painting and Fine Arts
Independent Studies.
“We are anxiously awaiting the
approval for an Advanced Placement (AP)
studio drawing class for the 2018-19 school
year,” said Easterling. As a means of mak-
ing the once old chemistry classroom into
a fresh new art room, students Brianna
Banko, Jason Parmley, and brothers Jason
and Justin Simmons painted the new
mural which adorns the wall. They com-
pleted the entire mural on their own time
after school during the first 12-week
trimester. The students first drew the
images onpaperwhichwere then convert-
ed to overhead transparencies. As the
images were projected onto the wall, the
students finalized the project with acrylic
paint.
The original idea was the brainchild of
Jason Parmley and Justin Simmons, who
were hoping to create the impression that
one side of themural would represent fire
and the other would denote ice. The con-
cept grew to include the images of eagles,
for which the Romulus High School ath-
letic teams are named, to represent school
spirit. The right side of the mural reveals
the life cycle of an eagle fromegg tomajes-
tic adult andwas completed in a cool color
palette. At the top of the painting, two
adult eagles adorn the corners with stars
and the phrase “Let your creative side
soar”. The center connects to the left side
and expands into outer space using warm
colors simulating fire.
Romulus High School teacher Kevin
Walton and his family donated all the
paint used in the mural to help with the
extracurricular art programming.
The art program at the school is now
accepting donations to purchase needed
art supplies. For more information or to
contribute to art education at the school,
contact Easterling at smeasterling@romu-
lus.k12.mi.us.
State Rep. Jewell Jones
Student Justin Simmons, artist and teacher Shanda Easterling, students Jason
Simmons, Brianna Banko and Jason Parmley show off the new mural at Romulus High
School.
The mural includes several depictions of
eagles, the school mascot.
