Have you seen the giant 12-foot butterfly on the wall across from the activities office? If not, you should give it a look. On first glance, you see that butterfly. On closer inspection, you see “Your story matters” in a graffiti font and splashes of vibrant color.
In April of last year, the LIGHT Education Initiative hosted an end-of-year celebration and storytelling event at the high school. During that event, around 150 to 200 students worked on the mural, centering around positive mental health.
While mental health has gained more attention in recent years, LIGHT Education Initiative leader Mrs. Catlyn DiPasquale believes that including positive messaging on a mural that most people will see everyday will further promote mental health awareness in the high school.
“We’re always looking for ways to help beautify the school and ways to make it more inviting,” Mrs. DiPasquale said.
The art piece itself is filled with many symbolic elements that add to the positive mental health aspect of the mural. In a lot of cultures, the butterfly is a symbol of hope and remembrance, and it is featured in the piece.
“The butterfly seemed like the right choice because hope is important when you are experiencing mental health issues or going through something,” Mrs. DiPasquale said. “There is also a semicolon, which is inside the butterfly. It shows that the sentence could have ended, but it continued to go on.”
Having the semicolon as the body of the butterfly and the words “Your story matters” underneath signify that everyone’s story is not complete and that everyone’s story is meaningful. These details aim to boost the mental health of students throughout the building.
Two professional artists, Shane Pilster and Max Gonzales, oversaw the mural station of the LIGHT event last April, teaching the students who worked on the art piece about the urban arts and about the techniques they should use in painting the mural. Once the students finished painting, Pilster and Gonzales added some finishing touches to help the butterfly and words stand out better; but other than that, it was all student made.
“It was everyone. The message was to come, grab a paint can, take a little corner, do a little piece here, try this technique,” Mrs. DiPasquale said. “As with any graffiti project, it got covered up a little bit here and there, and it turned into something new when the next person took part in it. Be on the lookout for a similar school-wide project or event to happen again in the spring.”
