June 16, 2003

To Whom It May Concern:

It is my greatest pleasure to write a letter of commendation for Artist Mr. Thomas Deir. The sixth graders or the Class of 2003 at Nuuanu Elementary School participated in an art legacy gift project this past school year. The dream of the sixth graders and their parents was to present a beautiful tile mural to Nuuanu Elementary School to reflect their love of the school and an appreciation of the teachers and staff. Mr. Thomas Deir was contracted for this project and proved not only to be an exceptionally talented artist, but also a wonderful and dedicated teacher. The students immediately responded to Mr. Deir as he went through a process of having them assist with the design and different phases of this tile mural project. He worked on the activities with the children in close alignment with the Hawaii Content and Performance Standards in the areas of Fine Arts, Language Arts, Math and Science. His work with the students is displayed on www.nuuanu.k12.hi.us as you scroll down to the link titled, "6th Grade Legacy Gift Project." Mr. Deir referred to the standards in his teaching and during the stages of the mural production. Students participated in the concept development stages, applied their newly developed painting skills and wrote reflections on the progress of the mural. More importantly, the students learned the value of working together and how each member was valued in contributing to the completion of this project.

This lovely mural is titled "Learners for Life" and is displayed on the wall of the covered gym. As one student wrote in an essay, "Nuuanu taught me how to be a responsible person and learner for life. I want our legacy gift to be a way of saying thank you to everyone who helped us to learn and to move on to becoming an adult." Another expressed, "Our gift will show our love, thanks, and compassion to the people in Nuuanu. Most of all I want to show that Nuuanu isn't just a school, Nuuanu has pride, dreams and hope." Mr. Deir was able to capture the essence of these thoughts in this awesome mural that enhances the natural beauty of the Nuuanu School campus.

Mr. Deir worked well with the teachers and parents who helped him with coordination and communication during the stages of this project. He has a warm and positive outlook, exhibits passion and quality in his work and promotes team participation. The children enjoyed working with him and he kept them focused and motivated throughout the entire activity. Mr. Deir has my highest recommendation to be an artist at any school as well as in any commercial endeavor.

Sincerely,