Not too often do students
over the age of 10 describe school as “awesome”
and “fun.”
But that is exactly how Mike Bice’s eighth-grade art classes
remember their last few weeks of middle school.
Coupled with the excitement of moving to the high school was
the students’ enthusiasm over a year-end art project.
Bice, who just this year came to Owen County by way of Elkhorn
Middle School, had done school art projects before but never
on such a large scale and never outdoors.
That’s right. The “MBMS 2006” mural on the
front of the old high school isn’t graffiti — far
from it, in fact.
The mural was originally planned for the inside of the middle
school but when students suggested its current location, plans
changed. “The kids really led themselves,” Bice
said.
Some students may have been more involved than others, but all
played a vital part — whether it was carrying water or
applying paint. And they were happy to do it, rain or shine.
“We had to work around the rain, but if they saw it had
quit they wanted to be outside,” Bice said.
The mural is based on significant events that happened at MBMS
during the 2005-06 school year. “After we discussed what
to put on it Mr. Bice designed it, and the classes agreed,”
said Jordan Shelton, a student involved with the project.
Included in the mural are depictions of the old high school’s
demolition and celebrations of student accomplishments —
namely the judo team’s first-place state finish, soaring
CATS scores, Danielle Hoop’s second-place finish in state
competition and the MBMS cheerleaders’ second-place finish
at the national competition in Myrtle Beach.
Cory Warren is particularly happy to have included the judo
club in the artwork. “I gave the idea of using judo because
Joe Clark (a member of the judo team) is a good friend,”
he said. Warren added that the mural is a visual tribute to
the MBMS motto, “Make good choices. Make the most of yourself.
Show respect.”
The students said they’d readily participate in a similar
project if given the opportunity.
“I don’t do art usually, but this was fun to work
on,” said Jason Raines.
Bice says he has had several requests that his students cover
the rest of the old high school facade — a “big,
time-consuming” project. “They want to see the walls
filled up,” he said.
Even if the mural doesn’t stand the test of time, Bice
says the students will have the project as something to by which
to remember their middle school days.
The students’ efforts were recently recognized by the
Kentucky Art Education Association when they posted pictures
of the project on their Web site gallery, www.kyaea.org.
