At Ralph Cadwallader Middle School in Centennial Hills, eighth-graders in advanced art class spend a month creating pairs of angel wings, each one dedicated to a person killed in the Oct. 1, 2017, mass shooting on the Las Vegas Strip. The project, now in its later years, gives students a personal way to learn about the 58 people who lost their lives and the families left behind.
Art teacher Francisco Eclarin and Christine Janette, a retired Cadwallader teacher who survived the shooting, started the 58 Angel Wings Project a year after the tragedy. Janette had seen artist Colette Miller’s Global Angel Wings Project and asked whether students could create their own set of wings to honor each victim.
How the Wings Are Made
Students choose one of the 58 victims and design wings that reflect that person’s life. They add details such as hometown, favorite colors, family members, or other meaningful symbols. Ilianna Huenta, who was born in New Mexico, selected Lisa Romero-Muniz, a former high school secretary from that state. Her wings feature green, purple, and yellow feathers, a music note, the New Mexico flag insignia, and three hearts for Romero-Muniz’s children.
Breille Garza and her classmates carefully glue feathers onto cardboard wing shapes while learning about the people they are remembering. Students also write short artist statements explaining their design choices and the connection they felt.
Keeping Memory Alive
Eclarin said the work grows harder as more students arrive in Las Vegas without personal knowledge of the shooting. He still believes it matters. Many of the victims were young and no longer have the chance to make new memories, he tells the class, so sharing what they did in life remains important to the families.
Mynda Smith, whose sister Neysa Tonks was killed, has helped gather information from other families so students can work with accurate details. Some parents later tell Eclarin that their children came home asking questions and learned for the first time about a relative or friend affected by the event.
The finished wings will be shown in a free exhibition from 6 to 7 p.m. Wednesday at the school, 7775 Elkhorn Road.
Empathy Takes Practice
Taking time to learn about someone else’s life, even through a pair of cardboard wings, helps students practice seeing beyond themselves. That same steady attention to understanding others is something many families work on every day at home, especially when a child needs extra support with communication, emotions, or daily skills.
If you are looking for guidance or structured help in those areas, call us or fill out the form on this page. We will listen and walk through what might be useful for your family at a pace that feels right.
