Kelly Ann, a 17-year-old Asian elephant with the Ringling Brothers and Barnum and Bailey Circus, shows off her mad basketball skills to students from The Apple Tree School of Fairfax, at the George Mason University Patriot Center on April 11. Photo by Deb Cobb.
On Thursday, April 11, 30 children from The Apple Tree School of Fairfax had the opportunity to paint alongside Kelly Ann, a 17-year-old Asian elephant with the Ringling Brothers and Barnum and Bailey Circus, at the George Mason University Patriot Center. Involved in the Young Rembrandts program, an after-school art enrichment program, the students were thrilled to meet the elephant. Kelly Ann has been with the circus since her birth and is a Renaissance woman who, in addition to painting, is athletic and musical, playing football, basketball, and also the harmonica. This is the first year she has painted with students from Fairfax.