Home Community Blog Senior Class Gift – 2019

Class of 2019 Senior Gift

Each year, the seniors at Waterford give a gift to the school. Previous gifts have been trees, scholarship funds, benches … the class of 2019 wanted to stand out a bit. And they were successful in this!

This year’s senior gift is hard to miss. Take a stroll through the 600s building and you will see it: A large (8’  x 24’) mural designed in collaboration with local artist Ruel Brown.

This mural is the product of a long process. In the fall students brainstormed different options (see sketches, here), before finally settling upon a mural by voting. A few weeks later, seniors spent time sketching different ideas and images that they wanted to be included in the mural’s design. Students also scoured Instagram for photos and pieces of art that had the color palette, tone, and composition that they liked. All of this brainstorming was sent to Brown, who created a design.

Then the real work began. Over spring break, Waterford’s talented and generous maintenance crew built the panels for students to paint. On Saturdays in April and May, seniors and Brown met in the art studios and the 600s building to bring this mural to fruition. Students helped with every step of the process: gessoing the panels, tracing the design, and painting the mural itself. The final step in this momentous gift was when each member of the senior class signed their initials on the bottom corners of the mural.

This mural will grace the halls of Waterford for years to come; a vibrant and colorful legacy for the Class of 2019.


Ravens of Future Past: Meaning and Symbolism

by Katie Riley, ’19

Class of 2019 Senior Gift PlaqueTo create the design for this mural, the Class of 2019 began by submitting components and elements they felt were important to their time at Waterford. Just as our voices were heard and incorporated into this work, the two featured ravens are seen sending their red and navy blue voices into the past and the future. Waterford is a uniquely intimate setting, and the student body is recognized as a living entity. The administration makes a strong effort to ask for our input on a variety of issues, and these ravens mirror our past and future selves.Waterford has taught us not only that our voices matter now, but that they always will.

Behind the raven, our very own view from the quad of the Wasatch Mountains has been traced. For us, the mountains that we see every day on campus symbolize the obstacles and challenges we’ve taken on as students and community members. Not only this, they inspire us to rise to new things in the future as well. Waterford has prepared us well for all the peaks we have yet to climb.

The crest pictured in the center of our mural features several symbols that reflect Waterford’s mission for educating its students. The key represents the doors that Waterford has unlocked for us and the possibilities that await us in the future. Nothing is unreachable. Below, a brain, a book, and a torch depict the components of a Waterford education as expressed in our mission statement: intellect, character, and passion.

Above the crest is a tree, resemblant of our very own theater department’s symbol. Waterford encourages us to always partake in the arts through a variety of disciplines, promoting both mastery and enjoyment. As well as this, our abundant campus trees make Waterford a stunning place to visit during all seasons. Finally, the mural features the initials of each member of the Class of 2019. Waterford certainly left its mark on our lives, and so in this way, we leave our mark on its walls.

 

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