Staff photo / Bob Coupland Charlotte Holestine, 17 months, niece of Fairhaven School Principal Sandra Kernan, looks at a painting of a bulldog, which is the mascot for the school. She and her twin sister, Emma, were at the school Thursday when 12 paintings were presented from Hubbard High School art students to the school.

NILES — The hallways and rooms at Fairhaven School in Niles will be brightened with colorful cartoon images of children doing various activities.

Students from Hubbard High School art classes of teacher Josh MacMillan delivered 12 large cartoon drawings of children and a few bulldogs, which is Fairhaven School’s mascot, to the school Thursday, the last day of the school year for students.

MacMillan said officials from Fairhaven reached out several months ago asking the Hubbard students to come up with a series of paintings to display throughout the halls of Fairhaven Schools.

“The paintings are going to be a series of brightly colored images of animated children that promote them having the ideas to become what they want in careers, having positive character traits and promoting Fairhaven bulldog pride,” Macmillan said.

Macmillan said he has had a dozen students working over the past three weeks to create a series of a dozen paintings. The canvasses were built from scratch and money was donated for paint and materials.

Fairhaven Principal Sandra Kernan said each painting will be hung where its theme is connected, such as in the cafeteria, one by busing, one in the art room, and one near the garden.

“I was very inspired by the artwork they have done,” she said.

Kernan said one of the paintings was done as a tribute to the granddaughters that her mother never got to meet.

Artwork was done in memory of Kernan’s parents, Hyja “Hattie” and Doug Holestine, and their names appear on the sides of the paintings.

“She was incredibly proud when I was hired to work at Fairhaven School. She was just starting to visit the school and program when she was diagnosed with ovarian cancer and she could not win this battle,” Kernan said.

Kernan said her mother knew her sons, Tyler and Dale, and wanted to someday meet her son’s twin daughters.

“She was not blessed to meet her granddaughters, Charlotte and Emma, but we have no doubt they have one of the fiercest and most passionate guardian angels ever,” Kernan said.

Kernan’s mother had a special place in her heart for children with disabilities ever since she worked at the Hattie Larlham Center.

Kernan said her mother came from a family of educators and artists from Seoul, Korea. To be able to combine both professions that meant so much to her was a natural decision.

“To have Mom’s name on artwork that may prove inspirational to children, students or families means the world to me and my brother. We are forever grateful to Josh Macmillan and his incredibly talented students for the work they have done, and for the cherished experiences they provide our students each year when they visit for Hubbard Art Club Days twice a year,” Kernan said.

Kernan and her brother, Dan Holestine, presented a $1,250 donation to the Hubbard art students for their work and for supplies.