Elementary school sees first re-design since its creation

The elementary underwent a major redesign this summer. Amongst the many changes, one major change has stood out to students: the redesign of the mural.

The elementary was built in 2002 and hadn’t been repainted since, up until this summer when administration decided it was time for an update. The elementary commons, the mural and the pictures were all redesigned to be more modern.

“It was approximately 20 years old and needed a new paint job,” Associate superintendent Mr. Martzluf said, “And the ductwork up above was really starting to look nasty, so we got it arranged to get it painted and get the ductwork redone with some insulation so it kind of offset the colors.”

The painting and redesign included priming over the mural, putting up motivational posters, redoing the ductwork and putting the Tiger Traits on the doors.

“One of those things [we] was the Tiger Traits that we put on the wall in the commons.” Mr. Martzluf said, “There’s a Doctor Seuss quote out there, and then essentially the big banner just says, ‘Hey, it’s a great day to have a great day.’” 

One thing that many older students remember is the tile collage outside the elementary gym. While it is gone, the tiles that comprised it are not.

“We did preserve the, I don’t know if you’d call it mural, but in the hallway that goes down to the gym, there’s those tiles that kids and teachers did,” Mr. Martzluf said.

Despite this, some older students who grew up with the mural are upset by this redesign and have voiced their concerns about it.

“I don’t like that they overpainted it because it takes away childhood memories, it was a fun thing we all enjoyed and I don’t think little kids want to stare at a white wall,” junior Anabelle R. said.

While some students are upset, associate superintendent Mr. Almasi reassures students that, while the original mural may be covered, it won’t be forgotten.

“We want to honor the past while looking to the future,” Mr. Almasi said. “I’ve tried to make sure that the students know they have a voice as long as I’m around. What are your plans, what do you want to do and how is it going to positively impact our school?”