The stark white wall is stark no more.

On Monday, students at Meadowbrook Elementary School began painting the wall outside Principal Michael Donohoe's office. The wall was one of many spots vandalized during a June break-in at the school.

Originally, the school used the wall to spotlight student work. After the vandalism cleanup, it was simply white.

"It turned out to be just kind of a sterile wall. … It was very uninteresting," Donohoe said.

To brighten the space, the school held a contest asking students to offer theme ideas for the wall. Fifth-grader Duncan McGough suggested the winning theme of "togetherness."

Local artist Heather Harvey painted a family-tree-like outline, and the kids began adding their artistic touches Monday morning. Every student at Meadowbrook will contribute to the mural as the painting continues for the next two Mondays.

"It's going to be like a big quilt. … That's what I envision," Donohoe said. "The kids are just giggling and having a good time."