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Student designs, paints mural at local school

by Soo Song

Belle Haven School will have a bright new addition to its campus this fall, thanks to Menlo-Atherton High School student Jeremy Chow.

Jeremy, an incoming senior and five-year Boy Scout, designed and painted, with the help of family and friends, a mural on an exterior wall at the school.

Aimed at inspiring students to attain the qualities of leaders, the mural is about 30 feet wide and nearly 8 feet tall. Planning for the work, part of Jeremy's Eagle Scout project, started in March. The design team used tape and cut-outs of letters and people (including pictures from the Internet projected onto butcher paper), and then rolled paint over the cutouts. Then, they removed the cut-outs and painted in the details.

He unveiled the mural on July 25 at the school site's Boys & Girls Clubs of the Peninsula summer showcase.

"The top (of the mural) lists eight words that are supposed to symbolize leadership and what leaders represent," he said at the unveiling, pointing to words on the wall that included "effort, responsibility, and creativity."

"A leader respects all the people around him," he said as he passed the word "respect." The mural includes other elements such as soccer — the kids' favorite sport — and college gear.

The planning process for the mural was extensive. "I first met with Maria Ibarra, the former principal of the school, who gave me the general format she wanted," he said. "I also worked with Boys & Girls Club site director Liz Calderon and Community School Director Alejandro Vilchez to develop the design and implement the idea of 'College-Bound' into the mural."

He spent about 47 hours planning and painting the mural, and volunteers contributed another 140 hours.

Jackie Garcia, the assistant site director, expressed the excitement and gratitude the school and community feels toward the work.

"(We) were really thrilled and honored for him to come," she said. "I can't believe he'd take the time to bring something so beautiful to the school."

Posted by Aimee Yan, a resident of the Menlo Park: Sharon Heights neighborhood, on Aug 13, 2012 at 11:36 am

The mural would not have been possible without the financial support of the Ravenswood Education Foundation who provided a grant for the art supplies to make this wonderful project a reality for the school! THANKS!