Local News
Related Photos
Discussion
Murals teach Westside Middle students six keys to success
The halls around Westside Middle School, once antiseptic white, are now “awesome,” “neat,” and “creative” — if you believe the reviews of the students who spend about seven hours a day between these walls.
The walls are now bursting with color, courtesy of eight murals painted by Southeast High students who implemented a theme of six “Rocket beliefs” the Westside student leadership team devised — “Education, Determination, Loyalty, Pride, Leadership and Visionary.”
The project was developed at the urging of Westside principal Stan Stewart, who was inspired by similar murals gracing the hall at Southeast, and school counselor Robert Broughton, who assisted with some of the painting.
“The Southeast art students have given us a gift of beauty and heritage to be enjoyed by all who walk through these halls,” Broughton said. “Northwest and Southeast, normally rivals in sports competition, are supporting each other through projects like this.”
While the Westside Rockets students will one day attend Northwest, they are enjoying the artistic contribution their friends to the south have made in their school.
“They did a wonderful job. It’s very pretty and colorful; it’s cool,” said eighth-grader Carley Cox. “They’re very generous. They have big hearts.”
The panels feature various artistic interpretations of the Rocket beliefs. “Loyalty,” for example, is shown to build pride. “Education,” is depicted as the key to the future.
“Technology is what moves us, but today’s students have to gear down when they come to school. We’re not fighting technology; we embrace it,” Broughton said. “We have 18 SmartBoards here. We let our students use cell phones and laptops.”
Southeast High art teacher Melodie Vaden put her advanced art class to work on the project after Stewart brought it to her.
“We sat down during my planning period, and I told him I had a class with some flexibility that had the qualities they wanted to use,” Vaden said. “These are not the same art students who painted the murals in our building, but they used the same principles.”
Vaden said the drawings were revised and tweaked three times over four months, digitized and put into an overhead transparency so they would fit on 4-by-8-foot sheets of plywood.
“It probably took longer than Dr. Stewart ever thought,” Vaden said, “but they wanted 166 feet of wall covered in paintings. That’s when Ben and Jennifer started going over there.”
Ben Millican, now a junior, and Jennifer Hoskins, a senior, spent parts of their summers finishing the mural. The eight, 8-foot-long panels were less than half of the complete mural. The spaces in between the panels had to be completed to make the pieces one complete, flowing story.
“I worked on it a week into the summer, but then I had to go to church camp,” said Millican, whose favorite panel was Loyalty. “It uses three hearts to signify compassion and companionship. It uses a sinus rhythm — a heartbeat — and a circuit board to show how everything works together.”
Hoskins continued working on the project long into the summer, and Westside paid her about $1,000 for her work, she said.
I’ve always been interested in art as a career, but this experience made me think more about doing it. I’ve thought about painting murals for homes and restaurants,” she said. “I’m mostly interested in advertising, graphic design and designing logos.”
Hoskins said she likes to make some of her clothes and alters others that she buys, using tools such as a sewing machine and assistance from her grandmother, Nell Thomas.
“I’ve always been good with colors, knowing how they correspond,” Hoskins said. “I do all my own clothes. I just painted my shoes.”
Summer students at Westside asked Hoskins if she was their new art teacher, and she said they were impressed to learn she is a student and not a teacher. Broughton said students will long appreciate her work.
“They walk down these halls every day learning about success. Now they can look at these six core beliefs,” he said, “and know how to get there.”
- Local News
-
-
Preparing for the big game
Kayla Webb, 15, performs a cheer with the varsity and junior varsity members of the North Murray cheerleading team Wednesday as they walk laps around the track at Murray High School. The team is getting ready for their first game of the season, scheduled for Aug. 20, a scrimmage against Murray High. Matt Hamilton/The Daily Citizen
- 2-year-old escapes serious injury
- Murray’s Reed is Educator of the Year
- Public will get ‘sneak peek’ at Crown Gardens and Archive work
- Floorcovering companies are keepin’ it green
-
