THREE CHEERS FOR DESOTO SCHOOL STUDENTS TWO HUNDRED YEAR TIMELINE MURAL

Nothing has come closer to showing the Bicentennial Spirit than the newly affixed 200 Year Timeline Mural that now adorns the Main Street wrought iron fence line.

This seemingly monumental task of portraying two hundred years of De Soto's history was jointly undertaken by the combined schools of our town, The St. Rose of Lima Grade School and The De Soto Public Schools. The students and teachers have been laboring over this project since August of 2002 doing research, writing explanations, drawing, and finally painting the pictures to correspond to the historic happenings that make up De Soto.

Following the storms of May 6 that hit the area, it took a while to make sure all the painted 4 x 8 ft. panels were still intact. Some repair work did need to be done, but now all 240 feet of the nearly year long historic challenge is up and ready to be viewed by the public.

In asking the two schools to take on this project, we had several goals in mind. We hoped that in working together, the two systems and the various students and teachers would symbolize the cooperative spirit that is so very necessary in the success of any town. We also hoped for the historical education of not only the students but also those who viewed the panels. This jointly accomplished timeline mural shows what can be done when people have a willingness to cooperate and a sense of historical pride.

Jason Barger photos, 
Courtesy of the News Democrat Journal