Over the past couple of years, our school has seen more and more student artwork popping up throughout the school, covering the dreary green and blue walls of PCS. The newest edition of these school beautification endeavors is a mural that is being painted along the walls outside room 127 by Senior Katie Kanko.

Over the coming months, Kanko plans to create a mural covering both the walls and ceiling, showcasing enlarged paintings of animals and plants. With inspiration taken from movies like Honey, I Shrunk the Kids, she aims to recreate “flora and fauna from the Santa Cruz area into something that is super visual and fun…all the flowers and insects are gonna be life size…we can get an up close and personal view of them.” She first got the inspiration for this mural by being a part of the Green PCS Seminar, a class run by Mr. Walters that aims to beautify the campus through art and plants. However, what’s so unique about this mural is that Kanko plans to paint not only the walls, but the ceiling as well to create a sense of being surrounded by nature.

She notes that the process for getting approval for the project was easier than expected. Kanko got this mural approved through a Green PCS seminar. “We focus on creating awareness for a green PCS…we focus on creating a greener space at PCS…we are the ones behind the community garden.”

Kanko goes on to explain that she created a digital collage for her design and it was Mr. Walters who helped her get this project approved.

Kanko has been doing art since she was young, fondly noting that “I would come in with brand new clothes that were covered in paint and my mom would be annoyed.” Painting is her favorite art medium, although she has done a lot of 3D modeling, pottery, and clay work.

In the next couple months, she is most excited to paint the lupines, which are a type of flower with bright blue hues. While painting this mural is a great source of joy for her, she worries about people messing up the art while it is still drying–please be mindful of the ongoing art project when you are passing by it, she pleads.