With paint, brushes and a goal in mind, artists alike combined their creative minds together to create their newest masterpieces. Not wasting any time, the artists of National Art Honor Society (NAHS) collaborated to paint two new collective pieces: a mural honoring teacher appreciation and a backdrop highlighting environmental sustainability on Wednesday, April 16 in Mr. Ramirez’s classroom.
NAHS partnered with Save Soil, an international organization committed to their cause to heighten environmental awareness by planting trees. To help support this mission and increase local awareness regarding environmental issues, as well as to cultivate their artistic skills, NAHS members painted the large backdrop with plants and greenery to represent conserving the Earth’s precious resources.
“My mom is actually a part of this organization and she’s friends with one of the [leaders] of Save Soil in Austin,” Event Coordinator Swasthiya Mahesh ‘27 said. “[After hearing of this opportunity], we thought, why not bring NAHS into this and make a mural for them? The organizer of the Austin area sent me a couple of designs [for inspiration] and I decided to do something with a hand to show humans’ effects [on] the environment, and also a bunch of trees, and the Earth and sun. It’s nice to have something to raise awareness for conserving the environment and I wanted to give back in some way.”
With every brushstroke, jokes were made, friendships were nurtured and inspiration flowed through collaboration. As always, by observing their fellow artists and working in tandem to reach a similar goal, members were left with a lasting impression of expression through unity.
“I think [teamwork] makes the project better because there’s going to be so much more artistic license in creativity when going into the design of an individual character,” Ava Stidvent ‘28 said. “The backdrop, the bubbles and every little detail [is amplified] through teamwork and I really admire that.”
Along with the Save Soil activity, NAHS painted a mural of core academic subjects as superheroes to appreciate the teachers at Canyon Vista Middle School (CVMS). The members meticulously sanded a white masonite board as their canvas, carefully drew the background to represent the key symbols representing the city of Austinon the board and then freely painted the caricatures, assigning a specific color to each individual superhero.
“I wanted to give back to [CVMS] because I went there and I know a lot of the teachers there,” Mahesh said. “I wanted to do a little something for the school so I contacted one of the art teachers at CVMS to [arrange] the project”
The collaborative and artistic-driven environment inspired new members of NAHS, drawing them into the club activities the day had to offer. Filled with inspiration, they allowed themselves to pour their heart and passion into the projects.
“[My first meeting] has been amazing,” Chachar Maheshwari ‘28 said.” I’m really happy to be here and be able to collaborate with other people.”
crazy cattle 3d • Apr 29, 2025 at 8:44 am
Absolutely love how this brought creativity and community together! The superhero teachers concept is brilliant, and the Save Soil backdrop adds such a meaningful touch. Incredible work by everyone involved!