Deering High School seniors Toby Romano and Devashree Thomson are passionate about theater costumes, which are key elements in drawing audiences into a performance. That’s why the two are grateful to receive a $344 Painting for a Purpose service-learning grant to aid in their “Costume Track Restoration” project, which involves restoring and upgrading the outdated workspace where the costumes for Deering thespians are kept.

Painting for a Purpose is a local nonprofit founded by educators. It brings creative people together to paint whimsical decorative items they sell to raise money to fund service-learning projects led by Portland Public Schools students who want to make a difference. Students apply for the funding by writing grant proposals and can receive up to $500 to put their ideas into action.

In Deering’s case, “this exciting project will involve cleaning and organizing the area where all of the costumes for The Deering Players have been stored for more than 100 years,” said Lorna Haigh, an ed tech who is co-advisor to The Deering Players. “We will be ensuring the safety of the space, donating the garments that we don't need, and providing the space with updated equipment such as pop-up changing rooms and new mirrors to ensure a more efficient workspace for The Deering Players for years to come. We are grateful for this opportunity.”

Toby and Devashree are skilled and committed members of the Deering Players and are in their second year as heads of the Costume Department, Haigh said. “Their passion for costuming inspired this project,” she said. “They are more acutely aware than anyone of the shortcomings and needs, and are both self-directed hard workers. They plan to tackle this by themselves, with my supervision as needed. Deering High School is very proud of them.”

Photo: Deering seniors Devashree Thomson, left, and Toby Romano with a rack of theater costumes they'll be sorting and organizing as part of their "Costume Track Restoration" project.