If you have ever visited the Charleston Day School gym, you’ve noticed the “people on the walls.” In a tradition that dates back decades, the 8th grade graduating class paints a mural of their class without faces to leave at the school. It’s fun to see how students personalize their images. The class of 2017 added a new twist… the setting for their mural is our 3rd floor terrace with the neighboring church steeples in the background. Well done!
Beginning with the class of 1993, each CDS graduate has left a permanent stamp on our school’s campus through the 8th Grade Portrait. Jan Welborn, longtime art teacher, launched this hallmark tradition. Matthew Cochrane-Logan, member of the class of 1993 and current parent, recalls the experience fondly. “It’s a tapestry of growing up. We were all so close, and I can look at the painting and remember each classmate.”
Until 2011, the murals incorporated school locations into the painting. Our school gym has a permanent alumni fan section with each class portrait cheering on our Scorpions from the sidelines. As available wall space became limited, the 8th graders traveled to nearby locations for the backdrop of the murals and began using canvases rather than painting directly on school walls.
A new aspect to the class mural tradition involves choosing the background for the portrait. As a group, the students choose a location on or near campus that has special meaning to the class. They take a mini field trip in the fall to snap the photograph that will serve as the guide for the mural. The class of 2023 took their class picture at the gazebo in White Point Garden. Jack Grant, 2023 class treasurer, noted, “We chose this location because we wanted to find a bright, beautiful place for a vibrant class on a lovely sunny day.”
As you follow the progression of the murals, you can see each art teacher’s influence. Recent art teacher, Matt McKnight, specializes in saturated colors that pop. The students of the class of 2023 applied Mr. McKnight’s art lessons into their finished mural. The bright colors reflect each student’s individuality but work together to form the finished product.
Art is a language, and each mural conveys the feelings and memories of the graduating class’ eighth grade year.
