Students of Forest Charter School have become ambassadors of world peace.

But instead of speeches, they are making their point with paint.

Under the guidance of Education Coordinator Valerie Stuart, students of fourth through twelfth grades at Forest Charter in Nevada City are painting four 12-foot-by-5-foot canvases that will be part of a giant mural on world peace in Egypt in 2010.

The mural will be the culmination of a worldwide initiative called Art Miles Mural Project, comprising canvases by children across the world. The project is recognized by UNESCO, according to Shannon Lankenau, who got Forest Charter involved in the global art endeavor. Lankenau was an intern with a nonprofit affiliated with the United Nations, where she came to learn of the mural project.

"My brother was attending Forest Charter School," Lankenau said. "I thought it would be a great place to bring in the project.

"I think it's really important to get (rural) areas involved in the project. Kids in those areas might not have the same exposure to global issues and activism as kids living in larger cities," Lankenau said.

The yet-unfinished canvases by Forest Charter School students show animals and people from across the worlds of reality and fantasy.

"The students decide how they want to work, which is why they have a theme for each canvas," Stuart said. "It's really collaborative. The kids really work together."

A mock-up of each canvas was done on a white board, Stuart said. The students then planned what colors they wanted to use.

She helped the younger students "understand character, personality, and all the things that go into drawing humans," Stuart said. "The older students practiced drawing portraits. I made them do copies of Da Vinci, Raphael and Michelangelo with charcoal and pencil."

For students like 10-year-old Iona Swift, participating in the project is an educational experience. Swift has drawn a Chinese girl on one of the canvases.

"I practiced drawing, which was really helpful for me," Swift said. "We also did some research on the things we painted. We had National Geographic magazines, so we got different ideas from that."

Oliver Morris, 17, said being a part of the Art Miles project "is an honor."

"It makes me feel tied to a movement toward world peace," he said. "For those who can recognize the message and meaning of peace, art can convey a very deep message, and in good circumstances, it can promote change on certain levels.

"I believe because of the large size of the mural, once it's constructed in 2010, it will be a symbol in itself of our cry for world unity and peace," Morris said.

Students at the Creek Side and Truckee campuses of Forest Charter School also are contributing to the project under Stuart's guidance. Both campuses are doing three canvases each, Stuart said.

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To contact Soumitro Sen, e-mail soumitros@theunion.com or call 477-4229.