Pupils in art teacher Gloria Brazell’s eighth-grade, seventh-hour class at Margaret Buerkle Middle School recently completed a service learning project that will benefit other children.

Brazell’s pupils painted wooden puzzles and donated them to the St. Louis Children’s Hospital. The puzzles now are being enjoyed by children battling cancer.

The 21 pupils spent about a week and a half painting the puzzles. Each of the 14 completed puzzles is a three-dimensional cube, featuring six scenes per puzzle.

Buerkle’s shop teacher, Kenny Weik, donated his time to cut the puzzles. Brazell organized the pupils and inspired them to paint the puzzles in cheerful colors.

“My students were excited to do the project,” Brazell stated in a Mehlville School District news release.

“I could see their confidence level grow once they learned the puzzles were going to young children and not being judged by adults. It was great to see how much our Buerkle kids cared about other kids they didn’t know, how inspired they were to be helping kids,” Brazell added.

Weik cut the puzzles from donated scrap lumber and Brazell donated the paint needed for the project.