About the Project

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Adele Davalos Mitchell was the founding teacher of the SOL Club at Lawrence Cook Junior High School in 1994.

One day she brought two old wooden chairs to her classroom. She asked two of her students (who didn’t get along) to work on a project together. She started by asking them to paint their culture on these two chairs during her art class and at lunch. Eventually, the two students found mutual respect and friendship working on this project together.

Soon the art room was filled with other students at lunch, watching the project of the “painted chairs” unfold. But, the fighting outside continued.

During one of these lunchtime gatherings, another student, came to my mom and suggested the idea of starting a club. A club that would honor culture, promote harmony and continue to create art.

He thought they should call it SOL : "Socially Organized Latinos" (also the Spanish word for sun).

SOL originated as a way of resolving gang violence and successfully ended the gang fighting on campus by students focusing on cultural pride and giving back to their community.

That’s how it began. 

SOL Club became a flourishing, thriving community filled with cultural pride, art and celebration.

The dream of combining art and culture as a way of establishing harmony and violence prevention, had become reality.