Willow Hegarty may have glittery purple wings, and little hearts under her eyes, but that’s not pixie dust on her fingers — it’s chalk dust. 

Willow, an eighth grader at Wareham High School, helped turn the high school courtyard into Fairyland for the annual spring art show on Wednesday, May 10. 

“I think fairies are awesome all around,” said senior Alexander Burdick, who serenaded the art show with the high school jazz band. “They’re an entity of peace. What harm can a fairy do to you?” 

The night’s theme was fairies and gnomes, but all mythical creatures were welcome. Freshman Lanna Russell drew “some sort of dragon-like creature” with chalk, while freshmen Tyla Jones and Comet Amezian drew a cat with fairy wings. 

Freshman William Cobb dressed up like a werewolf for the occasion, putting on a headband and painting his nose black.

“I think you need a tail, and a mask,” Russell joked.

“I know,” Cobb said, “I just didn’t have the time to make that stuff.”

Cobb prefers drawing foxes to drawing fairies, but painted Russell’s face to look like the moon and stars.

Students in Colleen Cuneo’s art class made ceramic fairy and gnome houses, which were scattered around the grounds of the school for families to find in a scavenger hunt. 

Senior Ariana Harris made a boot-shaped house, strung up with real laces and flowers. An acorn awning hangs above the front door, which opens “just enough for a fairy to fit in.”

“I really like creative [fairies] can be,” Harris said, “using a button as a doorknob [for example], and how colorful and bright and pretty they can be.”

“I found a fairy!” Shouted 3-year-old Caylee Alexander to her 4-year-old sister Delaney. “I found another fairy right here!”

Delaney waved to the “fairies” hanging from the trees, made of wires and plastic flowers. The sisters were ruthless in their pursuit of fairies, but hastily retreated when they saw a spider in the grass. 

Seven-year-old Jessica Watson believes in fairies, although she admits she has never seen one. 

Inside, mortals could dine on the food of the fairies, prepared by high school culinary students, while viewing a variety of student artwork. 

For another art project, Harris used real rocks, pine cones and moss to turn the book “The Sophisticated Poll Watcher’s Guide” into a miniature fairy garden. The garden had mushrooms made out of strands of hot glue, and a tiny bridge that crossed a river made of Saran Wrap and tissue paper.

Senior Marina Cadina portrayed a giant octopus coming to life out of a book, while junior Katrya Campbell used books to make a waterfall diorama. 

“It’s definitely fun to walk around and interact with all the kids,” said sophomore Charlotte Roy, who dressed like a fairy. “It’s nice to have a little magic.”

“It really is a magical time,” said sophomore Emma McWilliams. “It’s fun to dress up and find our own way of being fairies.”