A group of Wilton High School students have channeled their talent, motivation, and dedication to the arts into multiple school beautification projects around the building. The effort, sponsored by student government and driven by the Open Art Club run by art teacher Susanne Brandt, is all to make the school a better, brighter, and more beautiful place.
Sophomore Ava Kaplan participates in student government for the Class of 2019. She was a major force behind getting the school beautification projects going, spearheading one herself–a mural to be hung by the end of this year in the science wing of the school.
Kaplan got the idea for the mural’s theme after visiting high schools in neighboring towns.
“When you go to other high schools in our area, you never forget what school you’re in because they have stuff with their mascot hanging all over the walls,” she observes.
Her intent was “to brighten up and make the school more lively.” The mural itself is a Wilton High School Warriors ‘W’ that plays with abstraction and multitudes of different colors, which she says are meant to represent the diversity of all the cool, interesting things happening in the school. Measuring at 96″ x 48″ it’s something that will powerfully brighten up the typical, institutional school hallways.
Kaplan recruited a group of about seven students and got the funds for the project with support from the Class of 2019. They have been working hard on this mural since the end of January, and the fantastic result. Kaplan believes that murals and other school beautification projects only help to further improve the school and its atmosphere for all students, while also utilizing the amazing artistic abilities of many students in Wilton.
“I definitely think it makes a huge impact. I know personally if I’m in a bad mood at school it significantly impacts how much I pay attention and just my attitude towards learning in the class. If I’m in an environment that’s bright and makes me feel comfortable and happy and puts me in a good mood, then I have such a more positive outlook, I’m more willing to work harder.”
The school beautification initiative does not end with Kaplan and the Class of 2019. The WHS Class of 2017 has also decided to make its class gift a mural to help improve the halls of the High School. The mural was designed and being completed by WHS senior Emma Stow.
The beautiful 67” x 48” piece of artwork, still in progress, is set to hang in the math hallway on the second floor. Stow says it represents the growth and change that students experience throughout childhood.
“I wanted to convey that high school is a time of change for adolescents and we’re all here to grow. The children are painted as part of the trees and once finished there will be blossoming flowers growing off of them to show that they’re literally growing and blossoming the way flowers do,” she says. It’s an appropriate theme and message for a graduating class to give to it alma mater.
The funds for Stow’s mural have been provided by the Class of 2017. Emma would like to “…thank student government for giving [me] the opportunity and honor of creating the class gift,” and recognizes, “…other artists and underclassmen that have been working on murals as well.” She is in agreement with Kaplan that these murals really do help make the school a better place to learn.
“Murals and artwork can definitely raise a student’s spirits. It is important that we not only have this mural but encourage other students to get involved in school beautification projects. [This mural] leaves behind a positive mark because it will be in the heart of the senior hallway and it just adds color to an otherwise bleak [space].”
The motivating person who has been behind the scenes helping the students bring the school’s walls to life has been Susanne Brandt, who has taught art at WHS for 15 years and is the advisor of the school’s Open Art Club.
Kaplan raves about what a fantastic help Brandt has been, both in enabling the students to procure all the supplies, and helping them organize the entire project.
“She gave us the actual canvas that we are working on and just overall has been super helpful. Not just art but just like the logistics of things. She knows a woman who is going to get us the plexi glass to put on it. We could not have done it without her,” Kaplan says.
In all, thanks to Brandt’s help and efforts, five murals were created this year by individual students as well as by collaborative efforts.
“Creating murals is a great outlet for students to relieve stress in their lives and engage themselves in the arts. It is enjoyable for me as the advisor of the club to work with the students at the high school on these projects. The students are also excited and honored to be able to display their art permanently on the walls of Wilton High School for future classes to see,” Brandt says.
She also has great hopes for future school beautification projects. “I would like to see additional student art shows displaying 2-D, 3-D and video art being exhibited in the front lobby of the school. This helps showcase the talent in our school.”
Open Art Club not only works hard to better the Wilton High School community, but also gets involved with other community service projects such as “The Empty Bowls Project,” where the students create a ceramic bowl for sale and the proceeds go to charity; creating holiday cards for the residents of the Greens; and creating cards and artwork for the Children’s Hospital at Yale.
These projects hopefully will stir up even more momentum for future Wilton High School students to get motivated and leave a lasting positive impact on their school community through their artwork and talents.