Plains High School students helped ring in the start of December by giving the town a little bit of Christmas colors.

Twenty-five art students added to the early holiday spirit by painting Christmas themes on 17 businesses from the Clark Fork Valley Hospital to 406 Outlet all day Thursday. "I think it looks very professional," said Chrissy Carter, the senior personal banker at Rocky Mountain Bank after Kaylie Peele and Lillian MacDonald finished the bank windows. "They did an excellent job. I love our little gnome," she said.

Randy Garrison, owner of The Printery, has participated in the program all 27 years that the art teacher has done it. "This absolutely adds to the Christmas spirit in the store," said Garrison. His windows this year were done in a Snoopy's Christmas theme painted by Joe Pullen and Piper Bergstrom, both seniors, and Autumn Leckey, a sophomore. "What's more Christmas than Snoopy," said Garrison, who added that he thinks it's great that the kids get to show off their art skills.

Kristen Cole instituted the project as a way for the school and the students to provide a service to the community and she said she gets a lot of positive feedback from the community. In addition, it gets them out of the classroom. Cole writes letters to Plains businesses every year to see if they want to have their windows decorated and gives the businesses the option of picking a theme, although this year all the students were allowed to select a theme. There were only two first time businesses to get their windows decorated this year - Gaskets, O-Rings, and Rubber, Inc. and The Fabric Pixie. Two businesses approached Cole that day while she was going back and forth checking on student progress.

Cole said this was the smallest group of students that she's had participate in the window project, but said they did a great job. The artists included five seniors, nine juniors, two sophomores, and nine freshmen. It was suggested to her that she make it a contest with the public as judges, which she might do next year. The art teacher said she loves seeing her students' talents and believes it adds Christmas spirit to the community. "This is a busy day that would not be able to happen if it wasn't for our small town businesses supporting and encouraging students. I couldn't do it without them," said Cole. John Confer, co-owner of Simple Simons, opened his pizza shop specifically to provide lunch for the students.

Amanda Mooney, an employee at Studs Building and Home, was impressed with the detailed work done by Sophia Leggat and Isaac Tucker, who participated in the program last year. "I think it's cute. I really like the baby snowman," said Mooney. Cole believes that Terrain Bellinger and Kaedin Jurek had the largest and most detailed scene with their snow globe and animals at the hospital clinic. "It was impressive to see how quickly they painted such an amazing winter scene," Cole said.

Cole looks over the students' sketched out ideas before hitting the streets. Some of the students used their sketches as references when painting. A few went to the Internet for guidance. This was the first year in a long time that all of the work was indoors. The students use tempera water-based paint mixed with dish soap, which makes it easier to clean off after the season. The students usually return to the businesses during the school's winter break to clean off the windows, but sometimes the customer wants to leave it up longer or cleans it themselves.

The students are graded on the overall effect of the artwork and their control of media tempera paint mixed with dish soap and their brushwork. "I also consider how they work together, follow through with the ideas, and adjust their work within the window's size and shape," said Cole. "I tried to put them in groups or partners that I felt would want to work together well or would benefit from each other's strengths. I want to encourage them to share their talent with the community and have fun while painting," added Cole, who also said she encouraged them to do something different and work outside their comfort zone.

Only one group used sketched posters to trace their work at Jessica Holland's 406 Outlet. Hallie Corbin, a junior, and Lilly Geenen, a senior, made the number four into a Christmas tree, the zero into a wreath, and wrapped a string of lights around the six. They also put a Santa cap on the steer head, the store logo. It was the first year for Corbin, but the second for Geenen. The two also painted the Hello Sweetness Designs store with snowflakes. When two students got sick, they volunteered to paint The Fabric Pixie windows, though instead of doing Christmas gnomes, as the other group planned, they did Christmas trees, a snowman, a snowwoman and a snowchild. They were the only group to decorate three businesses, said Cole. "I appreciated their willingness to step up and take on three businesses. This is a lot for someone like Hallie, who's never painted windows before," said Cole.

"It's really nice and festive. They did a great job," said Melissa Compton, owner of the fabric store. "It's really neat to look up from the register and see the festive window. It puts me in the Christmas spirit. It's motivating me to put up some decorations," said Compton, who would like the students to do her store again next year.

Ed Moreth

OUTLINE – Plains High School freshman Madi Peele starts on her rendition of the Grinch at the Plains Post Office.

The biggest job went to 16-year-old RuBea Privett, a sophomore, 15-year-old Madi Peele, a freshman, and 14-year-old Maddie Carter, also a freshman, at the post office, which notified Cole the previous day that they'd like to be included. The three girls worked on the post office windows all day, for a short time getting help from Autumn Leckey. The group went with a Grinch theme with two Grinches, two images of Max, the dog the Grinch converted to a reindeer, and one of Cindy Lou Who, along with wreaths, snowflakes, ornaments, and a line from the script, which Peele outlined from the outside in a foot of snow and painted inside by Carter. The group painted 28 window panes.