Drive down 153rd Street in downtown Burien and you will see a difference. Colorful new banners have been installed on the light poles from 1st to 10th avenues that will decorate the street for the next year.

The banner project was the brainchild of Burien Arts Commissioner Victoria Hall. Hall, who has lead the education committee of the Arts Commission for many years, wanted to find a way to work with area school children to explore the idea of cultural heritage. Working with three different schools in 2010, she had the students create drawings that explored their diverse cultural heritages.

The drawings were then displayed at the Burien Community Center, and from the many drawings eleven were picked to be made into banners. The arts commission embraced the idea of decorating 153rd Street with the banners and with the help of Discover Burien and local designer Maureen Hoffmann, were then able to have 44 banners printed and installed.

The new banners will be celebrated at Burien Clean Sweep on April 30th with a scavenger hunt for participants and artists.

The City of Burien would like to thank the following teachers and artists: Sylvester Middle School teacher Mycol Winston and student artist Nick Mendoza; Highline High School teacher Lisa Bade and students Losa Berhane, Yohan Lasa, Emma VanAntwerp, Mayra Ramos, and Alyce; and Puget Sound Skills Center teacher Victoria Hall and students Anabella Flores, Cecilia Ramirez, Jackie Disler, Lindsey Hofstadter, and Brandon Wood.

City officials also thanked Debra George and Discover Burien for their support of the project; Burien Public Works for installing the banners; and Victoria Hall, Donna DiFiore, and Maureen Hoffman for their work on the project.