Middle and high school students at Renaissance Academy spent weeks diligently working on a dolphin sculpture to display in front of the school. They will unveil the artwork at 10:15 a.m. Thursday, June 12.

Art teacher Nancy Habit said, “I originally sought to bring a dolphin to our school as a peace-building project — an opportunity to unite our students in something beautiful and collaborative.”

Renaissance Academy students come from across the district.

“I want the students and the people of our community to see what I’ve witnessed during my 30 years of teaching in alternative education: our students are capable, talented, bright and eager,” Habit said. “They deserve chances to feel proud of themselves, to explore who they are, to learn how to support one another, and to recognize that Virginia Beach is their home, all of them.”

Habit began by distributing dolphin templates and inviting students to submit their own designs.

“When I reviewed them, I couldn’t choose just one — and I didn’t want to leave anyone out,” Habit said. “So, I divided the sculpture into sections using painter’s tape and had students paint their designs in the spaces.”

Students who couldn’t paint directly on the sculpture due to scheduling conflicts or testing were still included. With the help of peers and staff, their ideas were added to the final piece. Students who didn’t work on the dolphin itself contributed by painting rocks with positive affirmations, which will surround the base of the sculpture.

Habit worked with art therapy intern Tara O’Brien to raise funds to purchase the sculpture through A Dolphin’s Promise, a program that helps Virginia Beach organizations erect sculptures around the city that support Operation Smile’s efforts to provide surgery for people with cleft conditions worldwide. Several Virginia Beach schools have participated in the program.

“While supporting Operation Smile wasn’t my initial goal, it has been a meaningful and unexpected bonus to learn that our efforts are helping children in other countries,” Habit said.

Habit said she’s proud of the students’ dedication and creativity.

“They’ve been absolutely phenomenal throughout this process,” she said.

Watch a video of the unveiling here.