Note: This form alerts press to an unusual opportunity in conjunction with the same project that's described in Form 19-6, a calendar release.

Springfield-Renowned Mexican painter Estalee Rozales, currently a visiting faculty member at the University of Massachusetts, has a mission: to help communities remember and honor their histories. Last fall, through the University's "Caring for Community" service program, Rivera, her students, and three members of the history faculty sat down with teachers at Springfield's Emily Dickinson Middle School to design an innovative collaboration between the University and Dickinson School. Two months of meetings among administrators, teachers, students, and their families brought to life the "Massachusetts Women's History Mural Project."

Student research-guided by their teachers and University history professors--uncovered stories of acclaimed and little-known heroines of Massachusetts' history. These investigations were followed by a design process led by Rivera and, now, the creation of a massive, colorful mural on the exterior of the Dickinson gym.

Next Saturday, from nine to six, Rivera is working with three different groups of students, putting the finishing touches on the mural. This, the project's final "Mural Work Day," offers the press a great opportunity to get behind the scenes of an innovative education and community beautification project, and to gather photographs or film of this exciting mural.

Funded with a grant from Springfield Savings and Loan, the "Massachusetts Women's History Mural" will be officially unveiled to the public on the evening of May 27.