To give back to the community, Art Club painted rain barrels to donate to the rain barrel silent auction at the Earth Day Mansfield Festival at the Chris W. Burkett Service Center, on April 28.

“We got the idea last year starting with one rain barrel,” Art Club President Alex Hoben said. “This year we are donating two, each with different designs.”

The money the rain barrels are auctioned off for will go to charities dedicated to water conservation and cleaning up the city.

“In the beginning, we were approached by an Earth Day event organizer,” Hoben said. “We were well-known because of the Art Club activities we do, like art camp, so they asked us to paint for the auction.”

Art teacher Dallas Williams designed and painted one barrel with bluebonnets while the second one was done by senior Brianna Owens and junior Duong Nguyen.

“I’ve been painting a lot of bluebonnets lately for community paint classes that I teach, so that was on mind right now,” Williams said. “(Duong and Owens) painted the other design after school.”

Williams plans to continue this tradition.

“I (would) like for Art Club and myself to be represented as part of the community,” she said. “Time permitting, we hope to paint three barrels (next year) and get them in time to include the painting of one at art camp with the little kids.”