It’s often said that a picture is worth a thousand
words, and this is definitely the case with the murals at
WS. From the little paintings over the doors of the classrooms
to the big murals at senior rail, the spirit of the
school shines brightly through the artwork all over the
hallways.
With the renovations that WS is undergoing for the
next 4 years, the student spirit is not the only thing being
destroyed. Along with it are the murals all around the
school, painted mostly by students in the National Art
Honor Society (NAHS).
“I think it makes the school hypocritical,” said senior
Autumn Barraclough. “[WS’s] administration has been
talking a lot about preserving our school’s history, but students, particularly seniors, spend
from 3 hours to several weeks in
hopes of leaving something personal
behind before graduation.
“The murals are what’s left behind
by the other students before
us.” said Barraclough. “Each one
has a story and speak to us differently.
However, [the murals] still
push us to leave our mark on the
community and our school.”
Not only have the murals left a
mark on the students who created
them, but they have impacted many others in the Spartan community.
From WS alumni to future Spartans,
the murals mean something
different to everyone who sees
them.
“Parents and students at our
spring Art Pyramid show always
wander by the paintings and love
them.” said art teacher Katherine
Rehm. “People bring their own experience
and ideas with them to interrupt
and appreciate any imagery,
no matter how simple or funny.”
Painting the murals also gives
the more creative-inclined students
a chance to create something that will reflect the school and all of the
students within, and also providing
an experience that’s useful later in
life.
“It’s a valuable experience for
the young artist to generate ideas,
refine them, explain their intentions,
execute, and listen to feedback,”
said Rehm. “I absolutely
think they provide an energetic,
unique and spirited environment.”
Knowing that all of the hard
work put into the murals is going
to be destroyed leaves art students
bitter and frustrated.
“I heard rumors that they were
going to take pictures of the murals
and print them on tiles [and]
put these tiles in the new school,”
said Barraclough. “If an effort was
made to save the murals in any way,
I would support it.”
While there’s no way to avoid
the inevitable destruction of the
murals, there is still hope for future
Spartans to create new work over
the bare walls once the renovations
are complete.
“I look forward to new art
keeping-up with future students,”
said Rehm. “I hope we continue to
be allowed the artistic freedom of
enriching public spaces, providing
an artistic outlet, and a glimpse of individual student voices.”