Walls of Kiski Area High School covered in student-painted, historical murals

Students at Kiski Area High School don’t just hang their artwork on the walls.

They paint the walls.

As part of a mural project called “A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words,” students have painted murals modeled on iconic artwork or images from history. The project started in 2011.

“At most schools when you walk down the corridor, they have a neutral palette or school colors,” said Dan Smith, assistant principal of Kiski Area Upper Elementary. “We wanted to spice up our hallway even more and showcase student talents.”

Six displays have been completed during the past nine years. Many of the murals are paired with multimedia or smart technology components. Another new work about the civil rights movement should be completed by the end of this school year.

The first work in the project is a re-creation of “George Washington Crossing the Delaware,” the iconic 1851 painting by German-American artist Emanuel Leutze. The mural is paired with a smart pen and touch pad. Placing the pen at different points of the touch pad triggers audio that shares information about the original artwork and the student artist.

A new mural has been added nearly every year since. The student re-creation of the photograph “Flag Raising at Iwo Jima” is paired with an audio box with buttons for passersby to press. Students’ voices come from speakers mounted in the ceiling, sharing history about the painting and the original event. Another piece depicting Confederate forces’ surrender at the Appomattox Courthouse is painted beneath a TV monitor playing student-produced documentary footage.

Several other murals are paired with QR codes. Students and parents can scan the codes with their phones to access the historical information.

Also included are World War II-inspired posters showing Rosie the Riveter and the saying “Loose Lips Sink Ships” and re-creations of “Hillary Conquers Mount Everest” and “Gandhi on the Salt March.” The largest mural is a representation of the D-Day Landings, which takes up two whole walls.

That first mural was funded by a grant from Kiski Area Education Foundation, Smith said.

Since then, the project continues to grow with help from grants and donations.

Each addition to the mural collection is a collaboration between art students and students involved in history, technology and broadcast media clubs.

“We were just looking for a way to have kids do things outside of the classroom that aren’t your typical academic things, so they could share their talents with us,” said Jim McKenzie, a history teacher at Kiski Area High School.

Smith said the murals are incorporated into class lessons about the historical events depicted. They’re also exciting for parents and visitors walking through the building, he said.

“When we have any events in the school, we want to be able to show the community a little bit about what our students are doing,” Smith said.

The school has two additions in the works. Seniors Alex Zambotti and Katie Zezyus are nearly finished painting a collage of images showcasing the civil rights movement. Zezyus said the two started planning the mural at the beginning of the 2018-19 school year and began painting some time after Christmas. Since then, they occasionally stay after school on Fridays to make additions.

“We wanted kids to have ownership in what they’re doing and in the building,” said McKenzie.

Around the corner from the civil rights mural is a large white square. It’s a blank canvas ready for the next project. Smith and McKenzie said sophomore Olivia Croney has been commissioned — so to speak — to paint “Scene at the Signing of the Constitution of the United States.” This work will also be accompanied by student-produced QR codes.

The project will wrap up its first decade next year, but Smith said the possibilities for expanding the program are endless.

“This basically is the end of a decade of this project, with no end in sight,” Smith said.