By Demetra Chornovas
Special to the Reporter

A public arts display outside the Great Hall at Codman Academy on Washington Street started out as a required senior project for four students. But the display of seventy-five pairs of shoes, each pair symbolizing a Boston homicide victim in 2005, has evolved to more than just a passing grade. Spectators have embraced the display, some even placing letters, flowers, and teddy bears on individual plaques expressing their support for violence prevention.

"I couldn't have predicted the deep connection the community is making with the display. It is taking on a life of its own," says Meg Campbell, headmaster of Codman Academy Charter School.

Required to complete a Senior Social Action Project in order to graduate, four Codman students&emdash;Corey Brown, Ben Hollins, Sherry Jones, and Marlon Thompson&emdash;decided to look at their own communities for motivation choosing gang violence as their topic.

"We wanted to come up with a project that would make a change in the community and express a prevention to more violence in our neighborhoods. We are really proud of it, and we have gotten so much support from the families of the deceased named in the display and from people walking by, noticing it, and offering gifts," says Sherry Jones.

The students worked on the public arts display under the guidance of their Humanities instructor, Aaron Schildkrout.

"I feel amazing pride for my students because of the profound nature of what they have accomplished and their empowerment to make changes in their lives and in their communities," says Schildkrout.

Schildkrout emphasizes that the success of the public arts display was a collaboration between Codman Academy and the Codman Square Health Center, which helped the students with the construction. In addition, the pairs of shoes symbolizing the homicide victims were donated by various community members and school faculty. Alden Galleries donated the seventy-five plates with the printed names of victims.

The public arts display is expected to remain mounted on Washington Street for at least two weeks, possibly seventy-five days&emdash;one day for each victim&emdash;according to Campbell. Long-term plans for the future of the display remains undetermined.