Mitchell students find school pride in makeover project
Story By: Andy Koen
Source: KOAA
The halls of Mitchell High School are a little more colorful today as a student lead beautification project is slowly taking shape. Though art class is part of it, the Mitchell makeover is much bigger than just one group. Students from math class to shop class are putting in extra hours after school to give the building a personal touch.
"Mitchell’s walls are just getting boring and old and we thought that we'd renovate it and kind of and make it look better," explained senior Youssef Elceiz.
The project turns those “boring” brick walls into colorful, personalized backdrops with themes such as the Senior Wall, the Handprint Tree and the Planetarium Astrology Mural. The school staircases have been transformed from functional entryways to student art galleries.
In making over the school walls, the students seem to have undergone a transformation themselves. Old social barriers of cliques and stereotypes have been put aside for the joint effort.
"I think it just shows how the school can really unite when there's a common project," says senior Skylar Johnson.
"I know it might sound corny but a little bit of me is going into this and it makes me happy," said junior Jennifer Moosmann.
“Basically, we're trying to take back our schools name so that we're no longer known as ‘the ghetto school,’” adds senior Amber McIntyre.
Mitchell teachers say they have also noticed a difference in the atmosphere at the school.
"Our motto is ‘Mitchell Pride,’ and what I see is the students taking that pride and bringing it alive on the walls of the school," said shop teacher Eric Neilsen.
Art teacher Wendy Foos says the pride has always been there but it took a project like this to bring it to the surface.
“I’ve been here for a long time and Mitchell kids really do have a lot of pride in being part of this community," Foos said.
As they leave their mark on the school, these students are also inspiring younger classes to want to personalize the high school for themselves. The students hope to complete the makeover later this month.
