Amador Valley’s Art Club recently hosted a schoolwide mural design contest from Jan.13 to Feb. 19. Students were asked to create a new mural for the front of the school to celebrate Amador’s centennial year.

“It started with the school administration reaching out to Mr. Doyle about a new mural for the previously graffitied wall. Mr. Doyle then reached out to us, so we gathered the officers and outlined a plan for the mural. We ended up deciding on a mural design contest to determine a design by late February,” said April Gong (‘23), president of Amador’s Art Club.

Painting a new mural is a large project and requires various materials and groundwork. As such, the club worked with the administration staff to organize the whole process.

“Most of the planning and tasks are completed by our officer team. We just coordinate with the school admin for the more logistical issues. The actual preparation and purchasing materials for painting would happen in March,” said Gong.

The contest is a chance for students to demonstrate their creativity. By pulling ideas from the school’s environment around them, they can create a design unique to Amador.  

“I’ve found that expressing myself through drawing has been creatively liberating. The contest was a fun opportunity, so I took it, especially since I’m always saving cool pictures I take and can use them as inspiration for my art,” said Gracie Zheng (‘24).

Not only is the new mural a great way to celebrate centennial, but it also builds the campus community. Especially since students planned the contest and submitted the designs, and both students and staff will decide on the final design.

“What’s really exciting about it is after Mr. Fey’s initial response, the contest was really just student-driven. The students organized it, they collected the work and materials, and they’re going to be a big part of selecting the winning design,” said AV art teacher Michael Doyle.