The work

Every makeover, year by year

Each year, thousands of volunteers transform one school in a single weekend. Tap any photo to view it larger.

A dragon roundel painted on a school playground, lettered Duval Dragons

2025 · Duval Elementary · Mini Makeover

Duval Dragons

  • The Duval volunteer crew

  • Gecko, horse, iguana: an alphabet underfoot

  • A road mural, fresh and still taped

  • Resting on the freshly painted road

  • The Duval Dragons court, finished

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A smiling sun with a rainbow trailing from it, painted along a corridor wall

2024

2024 Makeover

School and project details coming soon.

A volunteer painting close details on a tree mural
Detail work on the tree mural
The finished rainbow ribbon and smiling sun mural running the length of the corridor
The rainbow ribbon runs the corridor

  • A mossy swamp scene for the gaga pit

  • Landscaping crew on cleanup

  • More hands in the garden

  • A pastel geometric wall in progress

  • Careful hands in the planting beds

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A wall of large stylised flowers painted in bright colours

2022

2022 Makeover

School and project details coming soon.

A volunteer painting a chalk-outlined butterfly onto the amphitheater steps
A butterfly begins in chalk
The finished lily pad hopscotch game painted along the sidewalk
Lily pad hopscotch, ready to play

  • Reading stands, cut and assembled

  • Paint sorted and ready to pour

  • Clearing the flower beds

  • Be brave and loved, banner going up

  • The 2022 weekend crew

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A mural of an alligator in a marsh at sunset holding a welcome sign, under hand-lettered text

2021

Not all classrooms have four walls

School and project details coming soon.

A volunteer reaching up to paint a mountain landscape mural
Reaching for the mountaintop
Three volunteers beside the finished mural lettered believe in yourself and the world will too
Believe in yourself and the world will too

  • Goals are wishes with plans

  • No mountain is too tall

  • The brushes that did the work

  • Sanding lumber for the build

  • Planing boards for new builds

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A volunteer painting a portrait of Malala Yousafzai beside her hand-lettered quotation

2020 · C.W. Norton Elementary

One child, one teacher, one book, one pen, can change the world.

A volunteer painting the Anne Frank portrait mural, working from a taped-up reference photo
Painting Anne Frank from a taped-up reference
Two volunteers beside the finished Anne Frank mural and its hand-lettered quotation
The finished portrait and her words

  • Lettering the Rosa Parks quote wall

  • Jellyfish drift down the hallway

  • A corridor of giant school supplies

  • Color wheels and a cloud full of math

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An ocean mural covering a school wall, with coral, fish and a dolphin painted around a hand-lettered quotation

2019

Life is like the ocean. It can be calm or still, rough or rigid, but in the end it is always beautiful.

School and project details coming soon.

Volunteers painting the rainbow chevron panels of the new gaga ball pit
All hands on the gaga ball pit
The finished left brain, right brain corridor mural pairing art and science
Left brain, right brain, one corridor

  • Creativity is intelligence having fun

  • A signpost into the book world

  • The greetings wall and a painted USA

  • New lettering for the library shelves

  • Which step have you reached today?

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A volunteer painting a night sky mural lettered Mission Street on a corridor wall

2018

Terwilliger Elementary School

Volunteers painting bright orange dancing figures along a taped-off hallway
Painting dancing figures down the hallway
The finished storybook forest mural, volunteers seated adding the last details
The storybook forest, nearly done

  • Shirts on, ready for the weekend

  • Sign-in and Saturday briefing

  • The 2018 crew at Terwilliger

  • Building brick-base classroom tables

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Two volunteers painting a wall of bright multicoloured bricks

2017

2017 Makeover

School and project details coming soon.

  • A geometric mural takes shape

  • Blocking in a playground panel

  • The sidewalk crew, mid-stripe

  • A rainbow wall, sketched and started

  • Painting the long walk together

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In loving memory

Tate Hankla

Tate Hankla

Volunteer, landscaping team

To honor our friend and team member, Tate Hankla, Project Makeover is accepting donations in his memory. Tate was a member of our landscaping team and spent many hours beautifying Norton Elementary during the 2020 Makeover Weekend. In Project Makeover, Tate was known for his eagerness to help and his ability to build friendships and community within our organization. He is missed greatly.

Donate in his memory