PHILADELPHIA — When "Abbott Elementary" creator and star Quinta Brunson received a key to the city from Mayor Cherelle L. Parker at her alma mater, Andrew Hamilton School, on Wednesday, the comedian began her remarks, unsurprisingly, with a joke: “What does it open?”

The audience of teachers, students, Brunson’s family, old classmates and fans who packed the West Philly school’s cafeteria/auditorium laughed, many beaming with pride to see one of their own recognized for the attention she has brought to Philadelphia.

“Quinta Brunson, this is your city, and you are ours!” Parker said as she handed Brunson the key.

Though rainy weather pushed everyone indoors, the event focused primarily on celebrating a new mural on Hamilton’s building. "Blooming Futures," designed by Philadelphia artist Athena Scott and developed by Brunson, ABC and Mural Arts Philadelphia, showcases portraits of students and teachers among sunflowers and greenery.

“There’s nothing more powerful than being able to see yourself in an image,” Parker said. “That’s the power of art and culture and creativity, and that is our hope for everyone — that you get the opportunity to see yourself in a way that, quite frankly, you possibly could have never, ever imagined.”

Initially, the mural mock-ups pictured the cast of "Abbott Elementary," but Brunson pushed back and asked that the artwork depict real people from West Philly.

“We have to see ourselves in the big picture. That’s how we know there’s a tomorrow. That’s how we know there’s a community to take care of,” Brunson told the audience. “You don’t need to see famous people on the wall. You need to see you on the wall, painted, beautiful — we are beautiful.”

Among the speakers at the event were Superintendent Tony B. Watlington Sr., City Councilmember Jamie Gauthier, Hamilton principal Torrence Rothmiller, Mural Arts leader Jane Golden, and Hamilton student Glory Melton, one of the kids pictured. They praised educators as unsung heroes and underscored the value of high-quality education.

“I just want to remind us: There are a thousand more other Quinta Brunsons out there, and we are going to do our level best in this school district to make sure that they are seen, heard, valued, celebrated, and well-educated, because we know they absolutely deserve it,” Watlington said.

He gave a special thank-you to Joyce Abbott, the Hamilton teacher for whom Brunson named the sitcom, who was in attendance.

In her speech, Brunson also praised Abbott as well as a previous dance teacher, a music teacher, and her mom, longtime Philadelphia kindergarten teacher Norma Jean Brunson, another inspiration for the show. Norma Jean Brunson stood and waved as the crowd applauded.

Following her mom to school and watching her extensive work was formative for Brunson and for the future development of "Abbott Elementary."

“This woman had five kids, and then she had 30 more in her classroom, and that’s what let me know that education is not just a job, it is a lifelong dedication,” the actor said.

Accepting the key, Brunson announced that she would donate $25,000 each to the nonprofit Play On Philly and the Fund for the School District’s Groceries for Good program to support kids receiving food assistance and music lessons.

©2025 The Philadelphia Inquirer. Visit inquirer.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.