![Many artists challenge themselves to widen their mastery. “I think two of the people that I worked with had done Artworks [Cincinnati], which is a movie painting company, but I have never done anything like this, and I think it was a great experience,” Manders said.](https://whhscbox.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/new-mural-picture.jpg)
Spread across a royal blue background reading “Rise to the highest” beside a plethora of vibrant sunflowers, this art piece spans the outside wall of the Student Success Center. It was painted by a group of students known as the art squad this past summer.
“While our art [looks] great when you see it in the arts and science building… not everybody goes down there all the time,” Debbie Heldman, executive director of the WHHS alumni foundation, said. “There are different artworks in the main hall here… it’s a big deal to us. I like to see our own art kids do something that could be around for 100 years.”
Student artists, Saffi Manders, ‘26, Sky Reimer, ‘27, Madison Scruggs, ‘27, Ella Laurenson, ‘26 were responsible for the planning, design and execution of the mural, as well as other various tasks aimed at preserving the current artwork at WHHS.
“In the arcade, there are benches which have been painted by students and then the [the benches were] kind of left alone,” Heldman said. “This summer, in addition to the mural, they touched up all the legs and made sure the repairs were done.”
Planning for the mural began towards the end of the 2024-25 school year. Members of the squad collaborated and came up with a plan for the design and execution of the project, then presented it to Heldman.
“You have to present it to me like it’s a business,” Heldman said. “What’s a budget? What’s this stuff going to cost? How long is it going to take? I’m not expecting to be done in a week during the school year, so you tell me what the timeline would be.”
To ensure a successful painting process, the painters had to be passionate about their work, spending up to three hours a day painting.
“[My favorite thing about art is] just feeling like everything I do is completely, 100% me and something that I have created or thought of,” Manders said.
By taking on the task of painting the mural, future students can recognize the talents of past classes.
“I felt really honored,” Manders said. “I think its such an amazing thing to be part of, and the fact that I was recommended and got to be able to be a part of of this, I was just so honored.”