Valerie Florez, a sophomore at Central Falls High School, ties one of the many strips of cloth outside the school. The ceremony was part of an art project to help students express their thoughts about two recent shootings.

The Providence Journal / Bob Thayer

CENTRAL FALLS — I wish I could see my classmates and no one would be missing. I wish for peace. I wish Central Falls got as much respect as other communities. Stop the violence.

These were the wishes students at Central Falls High School wrote on cloth strips to express their hopes for their school and community.

Yesterday, the 900 students left their classrooms to go outside and hang their wishes on lines that had been set up in front of the entrance. Students said they hoped their messages would let other communities know that they live in a close-knit community and that violence is not the norm in their city.

The ceremony was part of an art project that started last week to help students express their thoughts about two shootings two weeks ago. One killed Helder Tomar during a fight in Jenks Park. Their classmate Edelmiro Roman, 16, was shot dead as he walked on Dexter Street the next day. The shootings, which the police believe to be connected, have had the city on edge, and a 9 p.m. curfew is still in effect.

Students came out of the school at 10:45 a.m. to tie their cloth strips to the lines. Music teacher Maria Bilyeu played Bach’s prelude from Suite No. 1.

The project allowed students to express themselves in a positive way to unify the school, said art teacher Deanna Camputaro. Last week, the students filed through the cafeteria to get their hands traced on two banners that spelled out Peace and Unity. Those banners were displayed on the school yesterday.

“In the department meetings, we kept talking about all this stuff that had been happening and how upsetting it was to the kids and faculty. We wanted to think about a way for the kids to have a voice but in a positive way,” Camputaro said.

Mimi Sammis, who hosts Mimi’s Art Studio for PBS, was filming the ceremony for one of her programs. “This is art in action. They are bringing art to the schools. There is already healing taking place. It’s calmer in the schools,” she said. “You can process trauma and all sorts of things through the arts.”

Nisper Rivera, 17, a senior, tied a cloth to the line that said “love and peace.” He said writing his wishes and working on the banner helped a bit to get his mind off the shootings and rumors. “All this stuff with people having a beef and hating each other, people feel they have united. This helps keep your mind off things going on. I think it helps the freshmen who are saying why is this happening?” Rivera said.

Seniors John Higgins, Kristen Knight and Nancy Cruz said that the events of two weeks ago did not reflect the close-knit community in the high school. Students have aspirations, they said. “It’s annoying. People outside look at this city like it’s the worst. They have never come into our school and looked at our wall. There are all these acceptance letters from colleges on the wall,” said Higgins, who will be attending New England Technical Institute.

Principal Mario Andrade said he was impressed by his students’ pride and resilience. “Several kids saw neighbors and adults looking on and asked them to be part of the activity. You can’t teach that kind of value. Sometimes it goes unnoticed how incredible these students really are,” he said.

tpina@projo.com