AP Artists from AHS take on the Mural outside of the Media Center

Recently, three AHS Seniors, Gracie Milano, Hazel Breyer, and Grace Rodich, along with Mr. Berrodin's support, have been painting a mural around the library's entrance. This project started years ago as an internship opportunity for Seniors in AP Art classes. To start this project, Gracie says, “We planned and had meetings with the Principal and each other for about 3-4 weeks before we ever started painting, and we’ve been working on the physical mural for almost 3 weeks!”

Mr. Berrodin, the Art teacher, explains, “The inspiration for the mural comes directly from our talented and hard-working senior AP art students, who tackled the project as part of their senior internship. This isn’t just an art assignment; it’s a real-world job simulation where students are commissioned to design and create a mural from the ground up. They develop a comprehensive business plan, including a price chart that varies by size, quality, and detail of the design. Throughout the process, the students work closely with school administration to refine their ideas and obtain final approval. The planning stage, which starts months before any painting begins, involves brainstorming, visualizing, organizing, scaling, and creating color schemes. They also develop mockups so our 'clients' can visualize the final product. Our students are inspired by existing murals around the school and are driven by a desire to leave behind something memorable and meaningful, typically centered around the theme of good education and the concept of nurturing roots. The overarching vision is that, one day, every mural in the school will be interconnected through this thematic element of roots.”

Gracie explains that “As a group, we discussed and snowballed ideas we liked, backgrounds, themes, etc. until we landed on what I like to call the ‘enchanted fairy forest.’ We have an enchanted forest background, with a fairy we each painted on our own to represent ourselves. The front pillars are giant stone faces, holding up a stone book labeled ‘Media Center,’ which represents ruins in the forest.”

Gracie spends tons of time working on this mural as do Grace and Hazel. Mr. Berrodin highlights these students and says, “The mural requires a significant time commitment, extending well beyond the hours typically required for a senior internship. This year, for example, Hazel Breyer has been exceptionally dedicated, contributing over 130 hours to the project. Her commitment, along with that of Gracie Milano and Grace Rodich, has been pivotal in bringing this mural to life.”

Gracie explains, “I spend the full day at school, dividing my time between AP classes and painting the mural, and stay after school and come on weekends as often as I can!” 

Mr. Berrodin explains that his favorite part of the painting of this mural is “witnessing the students' growth and success. It's incredibly rewarding to see the mural take shape and to observe the community's reaction, especially during the initial stages of underpainting. People are often amazed by the transformation of the space, and I thoroughly enjoy watching their expressions change as the mural evolves into something truly spectacular.”

For Gracie, the most exciting part is seeing the process and all of their work come together: “I really love to see all of our hard work, both developing our skills over the last 4 years and on this mural, come together to create an everlasting project that people can love for years to come! This is something that will be on the walls of the school forever and that is so crazy to think about! I also get to work with one of my best friends, Grace Rodich, which is so fun for both of us!”

While the process has been fun for everyone involved, Gracie describes her experience as challenging, but worth it: “This has been a challenging, yet rewarding process! It is a lot of work, as there are only 3 of us AP art students, and Mr Berrodin to help. It required a large commitment and a lot of time, but it is so fun to see it all come together!”

If you are interested in the Art Mural, take a walk past the Media Center to see how it is coming along. Also, if you want to keep up with the process and support the amazing artists working on the project, make sure to follow the mural account on Instagram! @ahsmural2024.