The hallways at Rayma C. Page Elementary School resemble an art gallery, filled with flowers, hearts, buckets and vibrant murals.
"As the art teacher here, if they need something painted, I would love to do it," said David Caldro. "It's what I do. It keeps the school pretty. And it's just it's fun for the students."
Among the colorful artworks, one mural stands out with a heartfelt message.
"The inspiration was Krissie and Karsen," said Caldro. "To honor Karsen."
A mural outside the school now honors the memory of a beloved former student, 13-year-old Karsen Winters, who passed away after battling cancer for years.
"I was called to the principal's office, and I thought, oh, but it was a good thing," Caldro said. "I wasn't aware, but she told me what had happened, and she told me that she really wanted to do something to honor Karsen. So, it was actually her idea to do a little painting here in the corner. So, I jumped on board immediately."
It features a yellow-red-orange sunset, a shark, a boat, and Karsen fishing, something he always loved to do.
"Carson was a very happy-go-lucky kid," said Kristina Winters, Karsen's mom. "He was cool as a cucumber. Go with the flow. He never let anything bring him down. He was a prankster."
The mural was a touching surprise for Winters, who teaches ESE Pre-K at the school.
"Tears of joy," Winters said. "I just felt so loved and so cared for and blessed."
Karsen's battle with cancer began when he was in 3rd grade, in August 2020.
"We noticed a little bump on his hand," Winters said. "Took him into Golisano Children's Hospital, where he was diagnosed with alveolar rhabdomyosarcoma, which is a muscle tumor. He was unfortunately stage four. He did treatment for almost two years. He was cancer-free for about six months, and then unfortunately, it came back and slowly spread."
In 2021, Karsen received a boat from the Make-A-Wish Foundation, a moment that WINK News had the privilege to cover. And last year, he was one of our very own miracle moments.
Sadly, Karsen's long battle with cancer came to an end in March of this year.
"He was in remission again, and it came back and came back," Winters said. "And unfortunately, in March of this year, he passed away."
But Karsen's memory continues to live on through the mural at the school.
"I hope that I did justice to Karsen and his memory, and I love looking at it, and I can't wait to fish with Karsen someday," said Caldro.
And it serves as a source of support for Mom at work.
"I can be having the worst day, and all I have to do is come out here for just a few minutes, and it puts me at peace to know that he's here with me," Winters said.