It was a celebration as students arrived Monday morning at Yeatman Liddell Middle School in north St. Louis.
Students were greeted by a receiving line of police officers, teachers and Mizzou's mascot Truman the Tiger.
It was the first opportunity for students and staff to see the school's makeover. On Saturday, more than 200 volunteers celebrated Make a Difference Day by painting the hallways, lockers and other areas of the school.
Make a Difference Day is one of the largest annual single-days of service nationwide. It's an initiative of 5 on Your Side's parent company TEGNA.
The Missouri State Highway Patrol and other organizations teamed with 5 on Your Side to transform the school.
"It lets them (students) know they have people that care about them, people that see value in them, people that see their greatness," said Captain Ron Johnson of MSHP.
District leaders hope the transformation of Yeatman is just the beginning.
The plan is to have volunteers travel to schools throughout St. Louis and give them a makeover. The goal is giving students an inspiring place to attend school each day.
