A COMMUNITY mural dedicated to Hampton Senior High School’s 50th year anniversary is in the works as part of a bid to “rejuvenate” the school grounds.
Perth-based artist Melski McVee designed and painted the mural with the help of past and present students and staff.
The mural was the highlight of Hampton’s official 50th anniversary open day held on November 9, which was attended by about 500 people including five past principals and the first deputy principal.
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READ NOWMcVee said the 45m mural should be finished in a week.
“It is a school that has very gifted and unique programs, so I have designed something that actually reflects that,” she said.
“Whether it is their robotics program or it is their dance program or cheer squad, it is a combination of all those things.”
McVee said she was impressed with the community’s contributions.
“Because it is that paint by numbers style, you can get anyone with any artistic skill to help, so you can invite everyone to be a part of it; there is no one excluded from it,” she said.
Visual art teacher Nicole Whiteside said there were about 150 to 200 people who helped paint the mural.
“We are trying to do a whole beautification of the school, so we have got a whole lot of different projects going on and this is one of them,” she said.
“I think the most important thing about this is that the students will have ownership over it and so does the community.”
Principal Steven Beaton said the mural truly reflected the school’s valuing of community.
“The number of staff we have on board who used to be students and the number of parents who regularly come back is incredible,” he said.
Mr Beaton said the school had a long history of gifted and talented drama and dance programs but he wanted to highlight its visual arts program.