As Deerfield Elementary School students and their families walk, drive or take the bus to school every Friday morning this school year, they can often expect a chalky surprise just steps from the building.

Like clockwork — except on nasty weather days — cute drawings and positive messages are illustrated in sidewalk chalk into the driveway of Pleasant St. resident Sharon Bordeaux for the school community to see as they head into their last day of learning for the week.

What started as a back-to-school message for some family friends’ children in August has now turned into a weekly moment of artistic joy for both Bordeaux and the students and families who see the drawings she has cooked up that week.

“I thought I would put a big sign in the driveway saying, ‘Happy first day of kindergarten,’ and it sort of snowballed from there,” the longtime Deerfield resident said. “I thought it would be a fun way to spread positivity in a world that is sometimes bleak and sad.”

That inspiration — from elementary school students Ellie, Eric, Sydney, Eddi and Charlie — established a new weekly hobby for Bordeaux, who is retired and said she enjoys all manner of outdoor activities.

There is no set theme to her drawings, although she does try to do holiday-themed drawings and messages around those times of year. Recent drawings include a cartoon elf with “Jingle all the way” written next to him or a drawing of Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer joined by the phrase, “Lead the way.”

While drawn primarily for Deerfield’s youngest learners, she said she often sees people of all ages marveling at her art and has seen Frontier middle schoolers taking selfies with them.

“I’m not an artist, per se,” she said. “I hope everyone enjoys my drawings.”

The work begins with jotting down notes on her phone and then drawing a sketch on a piece of paper. Then, typically late Thursday each week, she heads out to the driveway to transfer her paper drawing into a piece of sidewalk chalk art.

It’s a good thing she enjoys the outdoors, too, because the only thing that will stop her is heavy rain or snow — despite the rainy year, she said she has only missed one or two weeks. Cold is no issue, as evidenced by the planets she drew the night of Thursday, Jan. 4, and morning of Friday, Jan. 5, where temperatures dipped into the low 20s and high teens.

“It takes a few hours; a lot of times I’ll start late at night on Thursday, when I know no one is pulling into the driveway, and I’ll finish it Friday morning,” Bordeaux said. That Friday morning work, however, is often extremely early, sometimes even as early as 5 a.m.

“It’s just a simple way to spread some positive vibes out there,” she said. “I love to do it.”

Chris Larabee can be reached at clarabee@recorder.com or 413-930-4081.