A front view of the finished mural. Photo:@hey-uhey8
Words of gratitude, delight, and pride abounded from faculty and students alike as artist Daze transformed Frederick Douglass Academy (FDA) with a new mural outside the school entrance. Painted predominately with spray paint, the mural was completed in just two weeks! The fast transformation meant each time students and faculty walked by the mural there were new vibrant details to enjoy.
The mural, which features Frederick Douglass beside the school’s lion mascot, was based on students’ pride in their school and their community. In fact, P.R.I.D.E is an acronym that FDA uses to demonstrate what the school stands for: Preparation, Respect, Integrity, Determination, and Excellence.
Complementing the centerpiece Frederick Douglass portrait is another of Colin Kaepernick, along with the school motto, a lacrosse player from the celebrated Lady Lions team, books, flowers, and a microscope, all against a brilliant background.
A Continued Legacy
Daze in process on Colin Kaepernick’s portrait.
Principal Fullerton had been envisioning an FDA mural for quite some time before connecting with Thrive. Fullerton wanted not just a new mural for her school, but a mural created through collaboration between students and muralists. She was waiting for the right people to help execute that vision before she found Thrive.
Focused on community excellence, FDA was founded in the 1990s as a college prep academy. “We wanted to be embedded in the community,” and “provide an education like no other,” said Assistant Principal Luis Landivar.
“Having a mural by Daze the artist is something that we think is noteworthy for the future and really represents coming back out of the pandemic and returning to our school,” he said. “I hope for the students that they see that it’s a continuing legacy of Frederick Douglass the man, and then Frederick Douglass the Academy. So, they can always be confident that they will have a home that will nurture them and sustain them and be a place for them into the future.”
A Strong, Resilient Community
While upper school students helped design imagery for the mural, FDA chose a few exemplary middle school students to help paint. Mr. Delanos, an FDA faculty in art, noted the immense talent of the students. “They’re all brilliant,” he said, “they’re always pushing themselves.”
Middle school artists painted the mural’s roses and books. Photo: Merari Hernandez
Of the mural, Mr. Delanos said, “Hopefully the students see this and think yeah you know, this is what [FDA] is about. We’re happy to be a part of this community.”
While hard at work, students indicated that they’d like to complete murals of their own some day. One found inspiration in the mural’s historical figures, explaining that she too likes to draw historical figures in her spare time. “I recently sketched Marie Antoinette and King James I,”she said.
Special Education Science and Living Environment teacher Ms. Haffoney admired the mural as she walked by. “When I came out yesterday, it put everything in perspective of what we stand for in our school…being strong and resilient, especially after coming back from the pandemic.”
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