SOUTH POINT – South Point High School students painted the walls in the stairwell and on the ceiling tile in a classroom – and nobody’s upset.

Wednesday, December 05, 2001

SOUTH POINT – South Point High School students painted the walls in the stairwell and on the ceiling tile in a classroom – and nobody’s upset.

Is it a breakdown in discipline? A case of vandalism? Defacing property at-large?

Nope, it’s art.

Welcome to Rebecca Pulliam’s Art III class, were some of the traditional high school art class mediums have been scrapped and the students turned to the school’s walls and ceilings as their canvas.

Walk into the art room and you’ll probably notice things aren’t like the standard art classroom.

Yes, there are art tables, sinks and stools and the other art class hodgepodge of equipment mixed in with the nouveau Christmas tree. But a quick glance up at the drop-tile ceilings, the difference really comes through.

Students have painted the ceiling tiles in what could be described as the Sistine Chapel ceiling – gone mad. A cartoon-styled lady with a talk bubble and other pictures take away from the typical institutional, neutral, monochromatic classroom and gives the room a little life.

But the stairwell really depicts the heart of the art project. Inside the stairwell, the students have painted five murals depicting school spirit with a twist.

A ceiling-to-floor mural with the Statue of Liberty in the foreground and a New York cityscape in the background kicks off the artwork on the first floor. Moving up the stairs to the first landing, there’s a mural with multiple panels depicting activities at the school. On the wall going up the last set of stairs to the second floor is the school’s mascot, then on the second floor, a scene Marvel Comics would be proud of with a Captain America-esque figure leading the way with Pointer spirit. Off to the left is a bustout scene highlighting the names of various school groups.

Principal Greg Webb said the artwork not only adds a little color to the school, but also allows the students to explore art in a way that’s not typically offered to students. He said the artwork also gives the students a "sense of ownership," and "when students have a part of the building then they take care of it better."