If you walk down D-hall, you will see countless paper cranes hanging from the ceiling. This was done last year by Molly McFerson’s gifted classes. 

Every year they create a large art project to display somewhere in the school. The year before last, it was the beach landscape made out of recycled bottle caps that still hangs in the hallway in front of the library.

This year, McFerson wants to do what is called “yarn bombing.”

“It’s like graffiti, but with yarn,” McFerson said. “It’s something that’s meant to be colorful and transform a space, but it’s also easy to remove. It’s just tied with yarn, you just clip the yarn; it doesn’t damage anything.”

The final plan is still in the works, though. 

“(The plan) is developing,” McFerson said. “So we had a brainstorm session, and what students were interested in was something that was colorful, and that everybody could collaborate on who wanted to participate.”

Crocheting is a popular hobby for her students, which is part of the reason McPherson wanted to do this.

“For a few years, I’ve had a few students who are interested in crocheting, so I’ve been collecting yarn donations,” McFerson said. “I bought several crochet hooks and kind of just made this available to my students.”

They have been hard at working making crocheted squares, but not quite enough to decorate the whole main stairway.

“A couple dozen, through a few dozen, maybe, and more in progress,” McFerson said. “I have a lot of students who are learning right now and don’t have their squares finished.”

McFerson hopes to bring a little extra color and joy to students’ lives with this big craft.

“I thought that could be really fun and colorful way to add something unique to Derby High School,” McFerson said.