Seniors capture memories through mural

The senior mural is a CHS tradition where National Art Honor Society (NAHS) students showcase the seniors’ high school experience through a painting. 

Senior Jordan Estes sketched the design for the mural in early September and other Advanced Art students including: seniors Chrissy Baker, Megan Piston, Maura Nacey, Sarah Bell, Payton Sucharski and Sarissa Bryant were the main mural illustrators in the project.  Painting commenced in mid-September and finished in early October and was finally revealed to the school’s students during the fall pep rally. The goal for these seniors was to create a vision that represented their class and capture their fondest memories from the last four years. 

The Class of 2020 chose to reminisce and leave their mark on the school by using vivid colors in each ‘bubble’ to encapsulate their memories. These students poured their heart and souls into this piece of art and wanted to make sure each student’s senior experience was captured. 

“This mural is important to us because it represents our class, everything we have done in the past, and have yet to do this year,” Baker said.

The mural not only pays tribute to the seniors graduating in June, but it embodies the path that they have blazed for themselves.  The mural is centered around a black jeep that symbolizes driving toward the seniors’ bright futures, while the smoke behind it represents their years as a Falcon.  Above the jeep, the banner states “the future is clear” and is suspended by two Falcons that have guided the seniors down their path.  The mural also includes various ‘bubbles’, such as the orange bubble that contains featured football players and cheerleaders who spent their Friday nights at the field.  There is also a yellow bubble to represent all of the extracurricular actives that students have dedicated their time to compete in such as theater, band, or art. Furthermore, there is a bubble that includes events like Mr. Cox, various academics and Coach DiNardo’s “I am somebody” speech.

Class of 2020 sponsors Mrs. Erskine and Mrs. Paradiso held a meeting at the beginning of the school year in order to give seniors the opportunity to vote on the mural of their choice.

According to Erskine and Paradiso, NAHS students submitted five entries to be voted on before the actual mural was chosen. Senior students who attended the meeting chose Estes’ mural to represent this year’s graduating class.