Our mural had three phases, which represents the phases of the story, Hana's Suitcase. The first phase represented happy times that Hana lived when she was with her family before the war. The passage we chose to represent this phase of our mural is: "In the winter, Hana and George built snow forts and skied. But Hana's greatest love was skating, and she worked hard perfecting her pirouettes on Nove Mesto's frozen pond. Sometimes when she wore her special skating outfit--the one with white fur on the end of the sleeves--she imagined herself a dancing princess. Her parents, her friends and her brother applauded both the performance and the dream".

 

The second phase of our mural represented the bad times that Hana experienced while separated from her family living in concentration camps. The passage we chose to represent this phase of our mural is: "Through a wrought iron gate and under the watchful eyes of the surly dogs and uniformed men, Hana and here old roomates were marched off. Hana held on tight to Ella's hand. They passed huge barracks, saw the skeleton-like faces of prisoners in their striped uniforms peeking out the doors. They were ordered to enter a large building. The door closed behind them with a frightening bang".

 

The third phase of our mural represents the joy of Hana's memory as it lives on in the hearts of students around the world. The passage we chose to represent this phase of our mural is: "George realized that, in the end, one of Hana's wishes had come true. Hana had become a teacher. Because of her suitcase and her story--thousands of Japanese children were learning about what George believed to be the most important values in the world: tolerance, respect, and compassion. What a gift Fumiko and the children have given me, he thought. And what honour they have given Hana".