09/28/2026
A project so close to our hearts!
🌳 The Fernwood Tree of Belonging 🌳
Over the summer of 2026, something beautiful took root at Fernwood Elementary. Our team of 45 youth and adult artists came together and poured over 120 hours of creativity, patience, and paint into a mural that now lives at the heart of the school.
Rendered in the centuries-old Indian folk tradition of Madhubani art, the mural weaves together heritage and belonging, a tree whose branches carry the students’ names in their native languages, whose leaves symbolize community, whose birds carry big dreams, and whose roots remind us that we can only soar when we’re grounded in our values.
This mural was conceptualized, designed, and composed in consultation with Fernwood Principal Cassie Morton thus making sure that it reflects the school’s core values and ethos.
A very special thank you to Shachi Sinha, Fernwood’s teacher for bringing in this opportunity, Vidhya Durai (Project Lead), Deepthi Sunder Rajan (Project Coordinator), and (Lead Artist) for guiding this project from vision to wall.
And to every artist whose hands brought this tree to life… thank you for your creativity, your patience, and your heart:
Aaria Mittal, Abhay Bodapati, Adithi Siva, Amrutha Arvind, Andrew Yandl, Anugraha Ganesh, Arianna Sinha, Dhanya Haritham, Dhiya Sankar, Dhruvika Gogoi, Guhan Thiagarajan, Isha Parekh, Krithi Siva, Meera Sankar, Myra Sharma, Nikita Thakalath, Pehal Thacker, Prayan Mittal, Rasika Ganesh, Reyansh Aggarwal, Ritisha Saraogi, Riyanshi Saraogi, Ruchika Saraogi, Saisha Jain, Sanika Kabbur, Sanket Mittal, Shilpa Sherigar, Shriya Shaji, Sivathmika Suresh, Sneha Sankar, and Sowmya Subramanian.
A heartfelt shout-out to Nithya Ramadas for beautifully capturing the magic of installation success party - thank you for freezing this moment in time for all of us to cherish.
More than paint on a wall, this mural is a promise: that at Fernwood, every culture is celebrated, every learner is held with care, and every dream is given room to take flight. 💛
Superintendent Dr. Justin Irish
Northshore School District
Northshore Schools Foundation
Northshore Council PTSA 6.10
Fernwood Panthers PTSA
City of Bothell
Arts Alive
