A Zia symbol rising from the mountains set against a blazing yellow and red sunset.

A Kokopelli decorated piece of pottery.

Chile ristras hanging in front of an adobe building.

Dont forget about the UFO hovering over a gray sky.

And, of course, the myriad colored hot-air balloons that take to the rich, blue sky during the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta.

These are a few of the symbols that five Rio Grande High School students used to illustrate New Mexico in a mural that will be sent to a school in Kenya.

The kids have said that they are sending a part of New Mexico to Africa, says Marci Ponce de Leon, a retired school teacher. The kids came up with all the concepts for the mural, and Im really proud of them.

Ponce de Leon was the mastermind behind the idea for the mural, but the group, made up of Ray De La O, Ashlyn Ibuado, Shannon Jones, Ana Oaxaca and Angel Pavia, was the catalyst for its execution.

Each one of these students put in a lot of time to the project, Ponce de Leon said. They worked on it every other day and came in on their lunch breaks to get it done. They were determined to finish.

Ponce de Leon will travel with Legacy Church starting June 13 and bring supplies to two villages in Kenya. The mural will hang in a schoolhouse in one of the villages.

Read more:

Students’ Mural Heads to Kenya