UCO Students Bring Safety Lessons to Life with Edmond Fire Department
April 2, 2026
The University of Central Oklahoma art education program recently collaborated with the Edmond Fire Department to design and install educational murals at the Children’s Safety Village, located at Fire Department Station No. 5.
The project, led by Oksun Lee, Ph.D., interim chair and professor of art education in UCO's Department of Art, provided students with hands-on experience designing and creating public artwork for a community partner while reinforcing the role of art in education.
Art education students Sidney Knipe, Olivia Walker, Natalie Rippy and Leslee Abbott led the initiative, with additional support from fellow student Marco Garcia during installation. Through the project, students applied both their artistic and instructional skills in a real-world setting.
“Projects like this allow our students to see how art can support education and serve communities in meaningful ways,” Lee said.
“By designing visuals that instructors can reference during safety lessons, students learn how art can communicate important ideas and reinforce learning. I am very proud of our art education students who transform their understanding of the value of art into action for the community.”
The Children’s Safety Village is a life-safety education facility designed as a child-sized community, complete with streets, traffic signals, buildings and a city park. The immersive environment allows children to practice real-world safety scenarios in a controlled setting.
The program serves approximately 2,000 children each year, according to Captain Jacob Stangl, fire prevention and children’s safety specialist with the Edmond Fire Department. Many participants extend the impact by sharing what they learn with family members at home.
Captain Jason Hazzard, fire prevention specialist with the Edmond Fire Department, said the addition of the murals will further strengthen the learning experience.
“What you’ve created is more than artwork—it’s a learning environment. When kids can see and connect with these ideas visually, it strengthens the message and helps those lessons stick,” Hazzard said.
For more information about the UCO College of Fine Arts and Design, visit www.uco.edu/cfad.
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Cutline: The University of Central Oklahoma art education program recently partnered with the Edmond Fire Department to design and install educational murals at the Children’s Safety Village, located at Fire Department Station No. 5. Pictured, Leslee Abbott, a junior art education major from Morris, Oklahoma.
