A beloved tradition at Charlotte Catholic is the senior Honours Art murals, with some dedicated students preparing their design for years- but this tradition may soon disappear. According to the Charlotte Catholic Art Department, no senior Honours Art class will paint murals on the first-floor walls from now on and all murals from preceding classes will be painted over with white.
When the senior art students first heard the news, reactions ranged from “distraught and confused” to “furious,” said senior Vanessa Ruedas. The senior class had admired these paintings for years, excelling in Art class in hopes that they could express themselves permanently on the walls. “Why remove the chance to leave our mark?”
“Say you were in line for a promotion at a job, and you spent years getting all the qualifications. And you finally have it all and you go in one day, expecting to get the promotion, only to find out that the job position is being terminated because it was deemed useless to the company… that’s what it feels like [to us].”
-Senior Vanessa Ruedas
Non Visual-Arts students also don’t appreciate this change, as the murals brightened the school and served as useful landmarks for underclassmen. Sophomore Gloria Kanzienza says “without the murals, this school would look like a prison,” and sophomore Bea Saenz adds, “I just really hate the fact that they’re really about to take away the only aspect of the entire school that’s… appealing to look at.” Some teachers agree, commenting that the disappearance would be “sad.”
The administration and Art Department insist, though, that this was a mutual decision on their part and have prepared an alternate project where a variety of mediums- such as photography, collage, or sculpture- would be displayed on canvas in the student commons area. Art pieces will only be displayed there for a year, but the space will be “more professional” because it will be hosting a Senior Gallery Night in early April. Potentially, the two senior Art classes will also paint two collaborative murals; one will be in either Mrs. Kathleen Ramirez’s or Mrs. Carmen Garmilla’s classroom and the other will be in one of the main stairways.
As the reality of graduation hits seniors, they may fight to hold onto the impact they’ve left on Charlotte Catholic- but the year isn’t over yet, and our enterprising seniors will find a way to leave their mark, whether through people or paint.
The Cougar Claw 