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LAUREL — A bold burst of blackand- orange school pride now greets Laurel-Concord-Coleridge students and visitors alike, thanks to a two-year art project that transformed a school tunnel wall into a vibrant “GO BEARS” mural designed and painted entirely by students.
The idea first surfaced two years ago when art instructor Jeremy Christiansen proposed creating a mural as an alternative to painting ceiling tiles in the art classroom. Inspired by 1930s large-letter postcards, illuminated lettering and traditional school pennants, LCC art teacher Ms. Scoville began shaping the concept with drawing students in fall 2024.
Drawing class members — Clara Brummels, Sam Cross, Kylla Klausen, Justice Olson, Abby Brummels and Dillon Sanderson — designed the original “BEARS” lettering. Each letter highlights a different aspect of school life, including academics, fine arts, athletics, clubs and the LCC community. Students used the 2023 yearbook for reference photos to accurately depict classmates in action.
Early planning and layout work was completed digitally on iPads. Clara Brummels and the art instructor then hand-sketched the large letters onto the wall before students began painting.
The first painting group — Brynlee Stanley, Holly Patefield, Tyler Recob, Oscar Salas, Ashlynn Gewock, Kassidy Koch, Levi Walker, Hannah Kort, Harper Bruning and Ava Reifenrath — selected color palettes and filled in imagery. Their work was finished on the right side of the mural before winter weather set in. The project resumed in September with a new focus: extending the design across the left side of the tunnel and up onto the ceiling. Originally, the school’s Bear logo was planned for this section, but as the concept evolved, the word “GO” was added to unify the design. Allysa Paulhamus helped trace a stencil of the Bear onto the primed wall. That image became the “O” in “GO,” complementing the BEARS layout.Painting continued under a new class roster — Justice Olson, Taliya Sims, Abby Brummels, Shane Langford, Benjamin Pico-Towne, Hunter Benson, Paul Allison, Jaylla Klausen and Millie Schutte — who completed the left and upper portions.
Inside the letter “G,” Jen VanMeter, with help from her mother, Marsha Lipp, adapted the LCC fight song to add another touch of school spirit.
What began as a simple mural proposal now stands as a collaborative tribute to student life at LCC — one that merges art, pride and community into a permanent part of the school landscape. Copy Minion
LCC art students recently completed a project to decorate the tunnel from the school to Haskell Field.
LCC art students recently completed a project to decorate the tunnel from the school to Haskell Field.
