By Leah Johnston

The final result of one of the four murals.

In a February assembly, the Middle School heard from Collegiate 2024-2025 Artist-in-Residence Hamilton Glass about the power of murals. Glass began his career in architecture after graduating from Hampton University in 2005. Seven years later, he followed his passion for public art and painting. On his website, Glass describes his style as “distinguished by his use of architectural elements with bright vivid colors and sharp lines.” Now, Glass works with community organizations and schools to share about the power of art.

Subsequent to the assembly, Middle School students worked to create a mural of their own, without knowing what they were creating at the time. In conversation with The Match, Middle School math teacher and 5th Grade advisor Rives Fleming explained that each Advisory was given 6-7 sheets of paper that are approximately letter-sized. About 2-3 students worked on each piece, coloring in the mostly blank sheets with several different colors, inspirational phrases, and doodles. Fleming recalled that “people really enjoyed doing it.” Once all the advisories finished with their sheets, the papers were arranged to create the surprise result: four murals of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., located around campus, including in Flippen Hall.

Close-up of individual panels of the mural in Hershey.

As I walked through the lobby of Hershey Center for the Arts on an afternoon last month, I spied two students pointing out different panels of the mural. As it turns out, 5th graders Grace (’32) and Amelia (’32) were looking to find the panels which they had worked on. As members of the Cunningham and Misantone advisories, they excitedly pointed out which areas of the mural they remembered working on. Seeing students gathered around the artwork which they had collectively created was awe-inspiring. Just as Glass hopes his public art and murals will reach the members of their community, the Middle School murals provide time for students to connect with each other through a creative medium.

All photos by Leah Johnston.