Every year Fair Grove’s advanced art program completes a mural for the graduating class of that year. The mural is a legacy left behind by graduated classes as a reminder to those still in high school of what they will leave behind.
Every graduating class has a mural displayed in the art hallway. Each student gets their own customized signature on the wall with a painting that relates to their personality or special talents. This year’s theme is based on the video game Among Us.
This process can take quite some time to get put together, planned, and painted. Stephanie Brown, the Fair Grove art teacher, stated, “The process takes a long time. My Advanced Art seniors begin by painting the square white. Then they develop the theme design and paint it. I assign each Advanced Art student at least two names, and they work with those students to find out what they would like painted. This takes up most of the second semester, working on it off and on.”
Brown has done many things for the high school to create art and have a good time doing it. Brown stated, “When I first came here, there were already two murals completed in my room. Students wanted to continue the tradition, so we did. These murals aren’t just important to the art classes, they’re important to all seniors. They give students a way to leave their mark on the school.” She continued, “Younger students love looking through them and finding names they recognize, whether it’s friends, older siblings, or cousins. I think it will be really meaningful when those students’ kids eventually attend the school and find their parents’ names, truly full circle.”
It can be difficult to precisely get the mural put together, and make sure everything is perfect. Zoey Nystrom (12) and Desiree Pollock (12) are seniors in Brown’s art classes who have been working on this year’s art mural. Pollock stated, “The most challenging part about painting the mural would have to be the measurements, making everything evenly spaced.”
Nystrom (12) added, “ I would have to say the most challenging is getting the theme on the wall but still having enough room for everyone’s signature and the little paintings they chose to go with it.”
This mural is a sign of the class of 2026 graduating and moving on to the next chapters of their lives and this will keep a little piece of them in Fair Grove high school forever.
