Bradley Elementary School
SCOPE
Full cafeteria
LEVEL
Elementary (K–5)
LOCATION
Derby, CT
INSTALL
Aug 25 – Sep 1, 2025, alongside Irving Elementary
THEME
Bobcat Way Café
OVERVIEW
Derby wanted a stylized look, not a full themed room. So we repainted Bradley’s cafeteria in black and red and built it around The Bobcat Way.
Fresh paint went on every wall first. Then came the Bobcat Way Café storefront, paw prints across the room, and the school’s own words under “Together we ROAR.” We built the word wall with the team until it held every word they wanted, and Bradley went in alongside Irving Elementary in the same eight-day install at the end of August.
THE BRIEF
We repainted Bradley’s cafeteria top to bottom and built it around The Bobcat Way, in black and red.
Derby was planning to remodel all four of its school cafeterias, and a referral sent Food Service Director Sal Giannotti to us in April 2025. He wanted to get started before the school year ended.
A plain, institutional room. The district asked for a stylized look instead of a full themed environment, built on the bobcat and the school’s black and red.
Fresh paint on every wall, then the Bobcat Way Café storefront, paw prints, and the school’s own words around the room under “Together we ROAR.” We finished Bradley and Irving Elementary in the same eight-day install at the end of August.
Peek Inside
Get More details about this product
The collaborative story
Built with
the Bobcats
We kicked off with Sal and principals Mario Ciccarini (Bradley) and Marc Russo (Irving) in early July. Seven rounds of revisions later, the final artboard was signed on July 31.
We built the word wall together until it held every word the team wanted, and left a spot above the window for a slogan the district wrote.
“Thanks again for a great job at Irving and Bradley.”
Key Elements
-
Bobcat Way Café
- Element: Café sign
- Location: Storefront (Wall A1)
The café logo with paw prints and “Let’s Eat” beside the serving window, under a red-and-black checkered “Be Bright Eat Right” header.
-
Bobcat Word Wall
- Element: Word wall
- Location: Wall D
School words picked with the district around Derby’s arrowhead D, next to BRADLEY in tall letters and “Together we ROAR, The Bobcat Way.”
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The Bobcat Way
- Element: Values wall
- Location: Wall B
Show respect, work and play safely, act responsibly, persevere, plus Pride, Spirit and Heart.
-
Bobcat Pride
- Element: Wall graphics
- Location: Walls A2–A3
“It’s a great day to be a Bobcat,” Be Kind, and a Café News board.
Gallery
We didn't design a cafeteria.
We designed somewhere they'd actually want to be.
And the kids? They noticed everything.
A lot can happen with a little change
in your space
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