Social Causes, Served Cafeteria-Style - SchoolBook It's not every day that students are encouraged to deface school property. But on Tuesday in Union Square, Chancellor Dennis M. Walcott helped a few hundred middle-school students unveil brightly colored cafeteria tables that will soon be displayed in city parks. With the blessing of the parks department, the educational nonprofit Learning through an Expanded Arts Program (LeAP) encouraged 350 students across 10 schools to brainstorm issues that affected them on a daily basis. After classroom visits from artists such as Christo and Mark di Suvero, whose iconic sculpture "Joie de Vivre" overlooks Zuccotti Park, the students painted cafeteria tables with imagery and quotes pertaining to bullying, gang violence, gay rights, environmental awareness and drug use. The full story and a slide show by Philip Ross can be found on The Local East Village blog. Also in the kid-art theme on The Local East Village blog on Tuesday: Artists and Kids Team Up for Mural on Avenue D, by Daniel Maurer. That one also has a great slide show, with a collection of photos from many of the superb photographers who live in the East Village.