Kewaunee art students leave a lasting legacy

KEWAUNEE – Kewaunee High School has a long-standing tradition of each year’s senior class leaving a gift for the students who follow.

The students typically host events such as prom and homecoming to raise money, and have left gifts like dedicated benches in the past.

However, the senior class of 2023-24 had a unique idea for their parting gift.

After seeing the work art teacher Erin LaBonte’s students put in for a mural on the side of Bob’s Auto Parts along Milwaukee Street in the city’s downtown, the seniors decided to spend their class fund to commission a mural within the school, one that represented everything their school has to offer.

LaBonte introduced the mural to her advanced art students as the first semester’s class project.

Administration was involved in the idea from the beginning, and they chose the place for the mural and the final design.

The work began with sketches submitted by the students to administration, who returned the work with feedback until everyone was happy with the design.

LaBonte said a few students stood out from the rest when it came to their passion for the mural. Caiden Augustine, whose sketch was chosen, was proud to showcase everything the school has to offer, from sports to STEM to the arts.

He said working on a large scale was a challenge he had never faced before, and redrawing his sketch in full size gave him an opportunity to work in an art style he wasn’t familiar with.

Augustine said the revision process was lengthy, as both the contributing students and the school administration wanted to represent the many subjects and programs Kewaunee High School has to offer.

“I edited it a lot. At the end of it, I probably had like 10 different designs for it,” Augustine said.

Oli Browne, one of LaBonte’s advanced art students, said the project provided a special opportunity to leave a legacy that other students would be able to enjoy for years to come.

“I was very excited to be a part of a mural,” Browne said. “It gave us a chance to show people that the school has a lot more to offer than just sports.”

Once the sketch was finalized, LaBonte took it home to clean up in Photoshop, outlining every detail and choosing colors so the sketch could be recreated at full size, even with a team of students who may not always be working at the same time.

The mural was painted in a hallway connecting the middle and high school, with the necessary art supplies funded by the seniors’ contribution.

LaBonte said the design process was collaborative, with students contributing sketches and finalizing designs with administration approval.

“It was pretty enjoyable, but could be pretty challenging at times, trying to get that line work down to the fine detail,” Kewaunee Student Cody Siewert said.
The project took the entire fall semester to complete, with students working both during class time and after school.

Browne said the work area was partitioned with cones and while the crowds during passing time largely let them be, some couldn’t help but express their excitement as they watched the mural come together.

LaBonte said the students who worked on the mural got to leave their mark, representing the school’s diverse programs and activities.

“It’s a gift that’s kind of donated from last year’s class, but it’s very much the legacy of these kids that spent their time and put their hard work into this project, and they did such a good job,” she said.