By DAN TOMASELLO
LYNNFIELD — A proposed outdoor mural at Lynnfield High School has been scrapped due to three School Committee members expressing reservations about it during an April 9 meeting.
LHS sophomore Olivia Sylvester said she is a student leader for A Healthy Lynnfield’s Youth Council at LHS, which includes over 40 high school students.
“I am here to ask you for your support and approval of a mural site for a student-driven mural project on ‘Uplifting Lynnfield Youth Voices’ at Lynnfield High School, which will be funded by a Massachusetts-based organization called The 84 Movement,” said Olivia.
According to its website, The 84 Movement “is a program of the Massachusetts Department of Public Health’s Tobacco Cessation and Prevention Program.”
Olivia said the Youth Council was notified that the 84 Movement “opened the grant applications for their ‘Creative Spark Fund.’”
“With my other Youth Council members, Gianna and Mitchell, we brainstormed ideas on how we could incorporate student voices into our community, which is our main goal of this grant,” said Olivia. “One of the ideas that we are the most passionate about is creating a mural designed by students and painted with the help of a local professional. This will be the very first mural in our community. We believe that our young people should feel represented and heard within our community, and this project would give us a fun yet creative way to do that. Additionally, this is a way for us to encourage students at Lynnfield High School to collaborate and work together, allowing us to combine both our similar and different ideas to create something for the community to enjoy. This mural would not only represent the unique voices and creativity of our student body, but it would also serve as a powerful symbol of unity, pride and expression within our school.”
Olivia said the proposed mural would have been located on a “20 feet by 10 feet area of an exterior brick wall outside the locker room exit doors facing the football field.”
“This location was selected by a group of Youth Council members after viewing multiple other possible sites, and was shared with both Superintendent (Tom) Geary and Principal (Patricia) Puglisi,” said Olivia. “Additionally, Heidi Reynolds, a local artist, business owner and member of the Lynnfield Art Guild, will serve as the adult lead on this project.”
Olivia said the Youth Council was requesting that the School Committee approve the proposed mural’s location.
“Then for the remainder of April, we will be collecting art submissions from youth to incorporate into the project and purchasing all necessary supplies,” said Olivia. “The School Committee will have the opportunity to see the final artwork digitally before we begin painting. The plan is for the mural to incorporate various pieces of art submissions from students based on the theme of ‘Uplifting Student Voices.’ We will spend the month of May painting with the plan of the project being completed in time for Lynnfield High School graduation. The School Committee is invited to join us for any of our painting days.”
Olivia also said that the Youth Council will be “responsible for the annual upkeep and preservation of the mural, which will include: Gently washing the mural with water and mild soap every year, reapplying sealant every three to five years and touching up sections with matching paint as needed.”
“This project is very important to us and to our community, so we are very hopeful that you will see the large and positive impact that this mural will have on both our community and our school,” said Olivia.
While School Committee Vice Chair Jim Dillon said Olivia gave “a very thoughtful presentation” and said, “The mural is a great idea,” he said he opposed its proposed location.
“The question is whether it should be done on that wall of the school,” said Dillon.
Dillon said LHS is a “mid-20th century piece of architectural artwork” that he compared to Acorn Street in Boston and the Tobin Bridge.
“There are a lot of places where it could be painted in the school,” added Dillon. “If they could reincarnate Claude Monet and if he wanted to paint a mural on the side of that building, I would vote against it. It is a piece of architectural art to me. You wouldn’t paint over the Mona Lisa, not to compare the high school to the Mona Lisa. The school is a symbol and it stands for something as a piece of architecture.”
School Committee member Kate DePrizio asked why the Youth Council was looking to paint the mural on the exterior of LHS’ gym.
“Most of the spots we looked at were on school property,” said A Healthy Lynnfield Program Director Diana DeLeo. “Everything we looked at was outside. I am not saying they wouldn’t be willing to do one inside. They would, but I think the purpose of it being outside and in that specific location is that is the area used most by the community and it is most visible to residents of all ages, which is really why we looked there. The other spots we looked at were in the same area.”
DePrizio said she “totally supports the idea of this.”
“But I love the conversation about where is the appropriate place, and where we should be prioritizing that artwork where we want people to see it and why,” said DePrizio.
School Committee member Jamie Hayman said he supported the LHS mural project proposal.
“Yes we are responsible for voting on things like this, but I also think this is thoughtful,” said Hayman. “A Healthy Lynnfield’s Youth Council does really good work, and they are talking about creating something for the community and their community frankly. I want to be respectful of that.”
Hayman asked Geary what was his opinion on the mural.
“It sounds like you support this,” said Hayman. “They have clearly talked to you and talked to Patricia. What are your thoughts on it?”
Geary said he and Puglisi “haven’t really talked a lot about it to be honest.”
“They emailed me the proposal, and I passed along the information to (the School Committee),” said Geary. “I do like the idea of the mural, but in rethinking now that I have heard from Jim, I don’t know if that outside wall is the best spot.”
In response to a question from Geary, DeLeo said Reynolds “helped us narrow down which location was best when we showed her the various ones the Youth Council had looked at.”
“Heidi thought that would be the best fit for it,” said DeLeo. “That is why we zoned in on that specific spot.”
DeLeo said the 84 Movement approved the Youth Council’s $5,000 grant request on the morning of April 9.
School Committee member Kim Baker Donahue expressed her support for the proposed mural.
“I think this is awesome,” said Baker Donahue. “With preserving the integrity of the building, that is a great spot because, to your point, it is the most visible to the greatest number of people in the community and not just the high school students. I love the theme of ‘Uplifting Student Voices’ because that is what we are trying to do. We want to hear what students need and what students want, especially with the idea of A Healthy Lynnfield in general. Hearing that it will be a place where everyone can see it just speaks to that theme in general. Keeping in mind the integrity of the building, I do think it could be a really good spot. And Heidi is great, and I take her perspective on that as well.”
While School Committee Chair Kristen Grieco Elworthy said she “loves the idea” of creating the mural and commended the Youth Council for obtaining the $5,000 grant from The 84 Movement, she expressed concerns about maintaining it.
“It is not easy to get grant money, so awesome job,” said Elworthy. “I am just always concerned about things as they age, especially with New England weather.”
DeLeo said the Youth Council would maintain the mural and noted that Reynolds helped develop the maintenance plan for it.
Elworthy said her “main concern” was maintaining the mural and “not the project itself.”
Geary asked DeLeo if other LHS students have weighed in on the mural proposal aside from the Youth Council.
DeLeo said the entire Youth Council knew about the mural project, but said the council has yet to discuss it with the student body.
“We would reach out beyond the Youth Council for art submissions,” added DeLeo.
During the public participation of the meeting, retired Technology Coordinator Kathleen Dario, 4 Bishops Ln., said she opposed the proposed mural’s location.
“I grew up in the shadow of the Tobin Bridge in Charlestown,” said Dario. “We didn’t like the graffiti that was on there. I love the idea and anyone who knows me knows I support every single kid’s activity. I just think they need to look for a different spot.”
DeLeo informed the Villager in an email on April 12 that the Youth Council has decided to scrap the LHS outdoor mural project.
“Due the School Committee’s reception of the project idea presented by Olivia on behalf of the A Healthy Lynnfield Youth Council at Lynnfield High School, we have decided to pivot in order to adhere to our timeline in the grant proposal submitted to The 84 Movement,” DeLeo wrote. “While we are disappointed and strongly believe our original proposed location was the best one, we unfortunately just don’t have the time to go back-and-forth. The new plan is to paint a freestanding mural on wood with a stand that can be stationed in various locations throughout the community at different times. I am so proud of Olivia and her group for thinking creatively given the time constraints. We are also thankful for the numerous community members who have reached out to us in support of the mural project. I am confident that the young people at LHS will have many more ideas for future projects and will continue to make the School Committee, and the Lynnfield community as a whole, stop and think.”