As you make your way to your third period class, you get caught up in a world of color and design. Trees, mermaids, and distorted clocks catch your eye as you make your way down the hall. These murals showcase talented young artists and effectively portray a combination of ideas from both students and staff. The creative and artistic works that decorate the hallways have entertained passersbys for years and more is to come.

In the 2710 hallway, resided an old map of Europe; but this past September, the National Art Honor Society decided a change was needed. With a combination of ideas from the NAHS and Mr. Ed O’Toole, the head of the Drama Club, a new plan was set to revive the wall. O’Toole’s vision includes Shakespearean Europe with all 38 plays written by the famous Shakespeare himself as a border, with interactive symbols to decorate. “A mix of geography and drama,” said Hannah Carlon, a senior at BHS who is a member of the NAHS society and is actively involved in the painting of this art piece.

The National Art Honor Society is run by Ms. Abby Fay and is a group of talented young people who posses strong artistic abilities and a passion for their craft. Their main priority is on in-school beautification projects, but in the past they have done some charity work out of school, including their pet portraits project where pictures of beloved pets were sent in and then painted on canvas for the proud owner’s enjoyment. Several of these examples of young talent and collaboration can be found all around the school. The entranceway to the Astro Park was done by the NAHS and is so realistic looking it feels as if students are amongst Zeus himself.

“The new mural is a group project, but mainly it is all Mr. O’Toole’s vision,” said Carlon. The planning behind this mural took a while due to busy schedules, but once the ball got rolling, the artists starting painting away. “It all started with getting the paint and then we painted the outlines of the countries. Next we painted the water and we were so excited to see how the countries would look, we filled them in,” The new Shakespearean mural will be completed by the end of the year.

Rachel Crossley, senior, is another young artist who saw the black space in the astronomy hallway by the main staircase as an opportunity to leave her own personal touch to BHS. “It’s like leaving my mark. The 26/2700s hallway is mostly space-themed mural so there was no question about it for me. I got the OK from Mr. Gyra and from there, we started.” Crossley took this on by herself for her Astro Jam 2014 project with the help of Mr. Gyra. Her space theme will fit nicely amongst the other murals that already decorate those halls. Crossley hopes to finish her mural by May.

“The murals that we have already add character and color to our hallways. Murals are like messages someone is leaving behind and making their own personal mark on BHS. You can feel the personality that comes out in every one,” commented Crossley.