Students Leave Legacy of Learning and Culture in New Campus Mural

You have probably already seen it.

The walls near the main gate of the ICS campus have been given a stunning makeover thanks to two ICS High School students.

Elisa M. and Chinatsu K. are both students in the DP Higher Level Visual Art program and the founders of a High School arts club focused on painting murals, which meet the International Baccalaureate's creativity requirement. Over the course of several weeks of planning and then painting, the students brought their ideas to life on campus, sharing a vibrant piece of artwork with the school community for years to come.

"The mural is meant to represent ICS's vibrant community, so we used bright colors to depict details, such as the Acacia tree, tortoise, and flowers, which can be found around campus," the students said about their new piece. "We made the mural abstract, with big shapes and bold colors, because it was important for us to choose subjects and create a piece that overall resonates with the community, while also reflecting our own artistic intentions."

You may have seen them working on the mural during the PTO's most recent Community Markets. Watch the time-lapse video above to see the wall go from blank to beautiful!

High School Art Teacher and the club's supervisor Anna Sudra said she is proud of the students for taking action not only to beautify their campus, but to put their learning on display in such a visible way. Anna said she is grateful to be at a school where students receive such encouraging support from the ICS facilities, maintenance, and leadership teams, as they helped with logistics and approvals for painting on campus walls. 

"The new mural reflects our creative vibrant community and our appreciation of our host culture," Anna said. "The fact that it was student-designed and created highlights how ICS supports student initiatives and and gives them ownership of the place. Like it says in the ICS Way, this really is 'our' place."

Chinatsu and Elisa were also excited have a chance to leave their artistic legacy on the campus walls. They hope their work inspires future generations of ICS student-artists.

"It is exciting to be given the opportunity to express ourselves so visibly and openly. We were definitely nervous about painting this wall that everyone sees as they enter the school, but as we were painting and people asked about the mural and started getting excited, we started getting more excited about it too. We also hope that this inspires other students to leave their mark on the school; there are many blank walls remaining!"

Another project recently completed is on display in the Parent Community Commons -- this one a personal project by another High School artist. Keep an eye out on campus as the walls continue to attract new student artwork!