From flowers to positive messages, Atlantic residents have started designing chalk art around town. COVID-19 hasn’t stopped the creative flow of the community.

 Junior Molly McFadden started writing positive messages and bible verses relevant to what’s going on in the world on the sidewalks near her house. “My little brothers were outside drawing with the sidewalk chalk and I started thinking, ‘you know what? A lot of people walk past my house on Chestnut Street and I’m sure they could use some positivity,’” she said. “I just wanted to make people smile and give them some hope.” McFadden decided to leave chalk by her drawings and wrote a message welcoming anyone who wants to draw.

Senior Kylie Neal had been going on walks with her sister and saw children writing messages such as “we’ll get through this together” and “don’t forget to smile today.” These short quips inspired her to do something to brighten someone’s day. She had seen chalk abstract posts on Facebook with tape and decided to go outside try her hand at it. “I’ve seen lots of posts on Facebook recently of chalk drawings, and since there isn’t really a whole lot to do, I thought I’d get outside for a bit and do some chalk drawings of my own,” Neal said.

These chalk designs are a heartwarming and generous way to support the community. Students are trying their hardest to stay positive in this situation and are finding ways to keep themselves busy, aside from online classes. TikTok–an app used by many students–has been sharing creative ideas to keep busy, such as chalk art and nail designs.