A fresh coat of bright, multicolored animals stalk the front of the Terrebonne Community School.

Mountains lions wearing Seattle Seahawks colors. Bedazzled vultures. Snakes and rockchucks in various shades of various colors.

The variety of critters and creatures, including some random and creative interpretations, adorn the fences that surround the school — the stellar craftsmanship created by its students.

The painted wooden cutouts are of items and animals emblematic of Terrebonne.

“Smith Rock, Monkey Face, they’re so indicative of Terrebonne,” said Linda Barker, an artist and Art on the River board member who helped organize the project. Her husband and two sons installed the artwork in May as the school year was coming to a close.

Whether it was a cougar painted in Christmas colors or a rock that was mistaken for a T-bone steak, Barker was passionate, excited and delighted about the designs that the third, fourth and fifth-grade classes came up with this year.

“The kids — they don’t need any coaching, they just take off,” Barker said. “There was no hesitation. They just came in and got with it.”

The project was spearheaded by Art on the River, an annual event held at Eagle Crest until the COVID-19 pandemic ended the shows in 2020.

The organization’s remaining funds helped supply Terrebonne Community School with supplies for the project and have gone to help fund art classes in Redmond schools as well.

“Art is an outlet for emotions and expression,” said Joan Sheets, an art educator who’s served on the board at the Portland Art Museum and is a founding member of Art on the River at Eagle Crest. “This is especially important to students who have been through the last couple of years when the pandemic brought so much uncertainty.”

Sheets mentioned how academic growth improves when kids are exposed to artists, different styles and the process of creating.

Art on the River also received help from Sherwin Williams and Miller Lumber, which provided discounted materials for the kids to work off.