Straughn High School students put their creative minds to work with a project depicting characters from the novel “To Kill A Mockingbird” and their renditions of the fictional town of Maycomb, where the Pulitzer prize-winning novel is set.

Each year, English teacher Debbie Parrish issues a challenge to her 11th grade students to create models of the town or become the character in the book and make a scrapbook about his or her life.

“To Kill A Mockingbird” is a Pulitzer-Prize winning novel by Harper Lee that centers on a real-life event that occurred in 1936. The book deals with serious issues of rape and racial inequality. Atticus Finch, the book’s moral hero, serves as a court-appointed attorney for Tom Robinson, a black man accused of raping a white woman.

Many of the town’s residents disapprove of Atticus defending Tom, and despite Atticus’ proving that Tom is innocent, the jury convicts him. When Tom tries to escape, he is shot to death. “Each year the students try to top what students have done in the previous year,” Parrish said. “We may have to put a cap on the size next year.”

Bowdoin said it took the crew nearly a week and a half to complete his version of the town of Maycomb.

Brady Walker also had an extravagant rendition of the town.

“It took me about 20 hours of work to complete the project,” he said.

Others like Brittany Driver, Evan Frye, Maribeth Corroro, Taylor Wood and Crystal Bonds, chose to assume the roles of the books’ characters, such as Scout or Jem Finch.

“These are wonderful,” Parrish said.