The rally stage has been given a new face by the Art Department, with teachers Yvette Puente and Maribel Carbajal-Guzman in charge of the project. The previous mural, having been six years old, was due for a new coat, and Principal Tom Houts was eager to get the job done as efficiently as possible.
“Every year the sun wipes it [the mural] out,” Houts said. “It looks great now.”
Although the last mural had become a familiar part of the campus, the recent renovation has brightened up the surroundings.
“It looks cleaner and bolder,” sophomore Isaac Lopez said, “more modernized.”
Student Tiffany Mejia, 11, also has her thoughts on the style of the new mural.
“It’s like trying to go for a minimalist feel, it’s cool,” Mejia said.
The new mural displays the Viking colors and helmet, with the slogans “Viking Pride and Tradition” and “Where Character Counts” boldly painted on the right side.
“It’s nicer than the old one, it looks professional,” Emily Flores, ll, said.
“Mr. Houts was really big on the character part,” Puente said. “He wanted that to be a focus.”
Both art teachers took time out of their schedules during finals week to paint the mural.
“Finals week was hard,” Carbajal-Guzman said. “We were still grading and we came on Friday and Saturday when everyone was gone.”
Working with the size and shape of the stage backdrop was also a task, but none too challenging for the two experienced artists.
“We’re better at planning or how to achieve the size for something that awkward—short but long,” Cabajal-Guzman said.
Despite the work, the impromptu paint crew is satisfied with what they created.
“The other was due for a make-over,” Puente said. “I think when you walk to the quad it brightens up the school.”
Junior Rudy Lopez agrees:“It’s better than the last one because it shows more school spirit,” Lopez said.
Houts hopes that the stage can be redone every other year to keep the atmosphere clean and lively.
