Some busy bobcats have popped up at H.C. Crittenden Middle School this year. One rides a gondola through Venice, two more are painting, and others are working on the yearbook and learning about healthy eating.
They appear in murals that middle school students are painting in the art and world language hallway to represent the different classrooms. The 11 murals include a beret-wearing bobcat outside the French classroom, one with the MyPlate food groups symbol near the health classroom and a pair of painting bobcats between the art rooms.
These creative artworks are being designed and painted by seventh and eighth graders in
a Student Directed Learning (SDL) class dedicated to mural painting, part of the H.C.C. Beautification Committee’s work.
Students were given great freedom for their designs, which only had to include a bobcat, the Byram Hills mascot. Sometimes working in groups, students designed the composition of each mural to reflect the different classroom activities in a way that made sense for the space.
“The murals are an artistic and imaginative addition to our school and are brightening the space with a great dose of color and school spirit,” said art teacher Joanna Bergelson, who runs the mural SDL with art teacher Nicole Minoli. “This project is creating positive energy, camaraderie and teamwork among the students painting the murals and excitement among students as they walk down the hallway.”
While the bobcat is the unifying theme, each painting is different. “There is a great deal of personalization and stylization from student-artist to student-artist,” Ms. Bergelson said. “Each mural speaks to the artist’s voice.”
The project came about after high school seniors interning at the middle school last spring painted a mural in the music wing at H.C.C., inspiring middle schoolers to want to create their own public art at school. Seventh grader Kaye Fernandez approached Principal Kim Lapple with the idea for a mural and the leadership opportunity to beautify the school through multiple bobcat murals was born.
Kaye said she wanted to paint a mural at school because she enjoys art and wanted to create something that would last forever. “I love doing it during SDL,” she said. “It’s a fun, relaxing time to do it.”
As for getting the green light for students to paint on the walls, Kaye was proud. “I feel good,” she said. “I feel accomplished being able to do this.”
Students are enjoying the painting process and like knowing that their murals will outlive their middle school days.
Seventh grader Hannah Plutzer noted that her canvas is usually a small piece of paper, not a huge wall.
“It’s really cool that my art is going to be here for a while and I get to paint on the wall,” she said.
“I never got to do that before. It feels like freedom.”
Seventh grader Josh Aronov likes the opportunity for hands-on creativity in the mural SDL.
“I love it because I really like art and drawing,” he said. “It’s really fun for me.” On the responsibility of helping improve the school’s appearance, Josh said: “I feel honored to be making our school prettier.”
Even before the murals were finished, students were loving the new additions. “They all look amazing,” Maddie Groven, another seventh grader, said as she painted one of the murals. “Everyone did an amazing job on all of these.”
“They add this little spark of life,” she added. “They bring out the fun in school.”
