Brooks Middle School and the Art of Rangoli

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Students have taken to the sidewalks outside the school at 325 S. Kenilworth Ave. to practice their take on Rangoli, the traditional Indian folk art used as temporary welcoming mat outside a home, as "visual prayers and to ward off evil and bring good luck," said art instructor Kristi Murray.

Tuesday's colorful exercise was part of a larger program at the school in which students will focus on a new country or region each month. Throughout the year, they'll learn about the culture and customs of Japan, South Africa, the Caribbean and other points around the globe.

In addition to the Rangoli drawings, which saw small groups of students kneeling on the sidewalk and creating vivid, improvised chalk drawings, students will also create Diwali lanterns, learn yoga and take a field trip to Bartlett's Shri Swaminaryan Mandir (Hindu Temple).