Students, faculty, staff and community members gathered at Vivien T. Thomas Medical Arts Academy on Friday afternoon on June 1st to recognize the hard work and dedication put into the school’s new bright and colorful mural that will now greet every person that enters the building. One of 5 Impact Fund Projects, the mural is a result of collaborations of 40 students, art teacher Mrs. Porter, and artist Megan Lewis. The students wanted the design to reflect each of the 5 disciplines or pathways taught at Vivien T. Thomas- Pharmacy Technician, Emergency Medical Technician, Dental Assistant, Nursing Assistant, and Biomedical Sciences.
Together everyone worked to bring one of the exterior walls near the school entrance to life with Megan Lewis’ signature style of bright colors and graphic characteristics. Lewis commented on how this group of students were some of the best she had ever worked with, noting on how devoted and focused they were throughout the process. The top of the mural featured the school’s mantra, “Healing Ourselves, Our Community, Our World.” This phrase is clearly depicted in the mural as you see a young woman in a nurses uniform sewing together and “healing” the earth.
Principal Farmer, artist Megan Lewis, art teacher Mrs. Porter, and student Cameron.
One of the young men present at the unveiling named Cameron Pendleton had participated in the mural process and proudly stood next to the portion of the mural depicting a young man in an EMT uniform. Cameron, a graduating senior who had recently earned his EMT certification is just one of the students who will leave behind a legacy that can be seen throughout the community. Principal Farmer noted how proud she was of the work that went into the project and expressed hope that they will be able to do more projects like this in the future.
Cameron Pendleton, a recent graduate of Vivien T. Thomas Medical Arts Academy poses next to the EMT portion of the mural he helped paint.