Area 9 News
Students Leave Their Mark
by Susan Danahey for The Hastings Tribune
originally published on May 20, 2010, reprinted with permission
BLUE HILL, Neb. (AP) — Christine Brown's art classes here all had an opportunity to leave their mark this semester by repainting the Blue Hill High School gym. The gym last was painted by high school art students in 1996.
The '96 design included the then-new mascot designed by Jean Paulsen, then a teacher at the high school. That mascot was a cartoonlike rendition of the traditional Bobcat donning a large head and smaller body and was a popular change by schools at the time, Brown said.
A new mascot design now has been added to the gym as part of the painting project. It is a sleeker, more streamlined Bobcat design and has been used by the school for the past three years.
It became obvious to the students and staff that the gym needed to be painted when new mats were purchased. The new mats are a different shade of blue compared with the color on the walls.
The new color of blue has been incorporated in the new mascot design.
Brown proposed the project to her art classes only a few weeks ago. Students who had art projects to finish were encouraged to finish those projects, but all art students interested in the gym work were urged to participate.
Brown and her students designed the new look for the gym and began to make it a reality. Since the project was started, about 15 students have put in 20-30 hours each on the project, while others have been able to give a bit less time.
The students are enjoying the idea that their work will remain in the school long after they have gone on to the pathways of their lives.
"It is cool that we will be able to come back after graduation and it will still be here," said Trent Kohmetscher, a sophomore. "I have a lot of pride in that."
Other students are thinking more in the present.
"I think it will bring the school together in the project while increasing the team spirit in the school," said sophomore Micki Schlesinger.
Matt Thramer, who will be a senior next year, just saw the painting of the gym as a service to the school. "It needed to be done, and it was fun to do," he said. "Plus, it will be fun to compete in a gym that we helped to paint."
"This group has been an amazing bunch of students dedicated to the project," Brown said. "Not only did they save the school money by doing the work themselves, it was a wonderful chance to showcase our local talent."
A sportsmanship mural also will be added to the gym, Brown said. Students plan to return this summer to complete the work.