Legacy on walls

ANOUSHKA MEKERIRA

ANOUSHKA MEKERIRA

A castle rests peacefully on top of a hill. But down the hill, mighty Scots battle fierce dragons, a war breaking out between the two. This is the first impression of Carlmont’s most iconic mural, featured across from the Student Union. The story behind the artwork is one of a kind.

Caught vandalizing the school, Angelo Zhao transformed his hobby of sketching dragons on Carlmont’s walls into a beautiful mural. “We left a note for the person and said, please come talk to us, you’re not in trouble. And he did. We told him his artwork is amazing—but you can’t draw on the walls,” said Vice Principal Grant Steunenberg during his first encounter with Zhao. Instead, Steunenberg and Carlmont faculty offered a better option for Zhao to express himself. Zhao, a junior at the time, was given the opportunity to paint a Carlmont mural and was even allowed to include his dragons. When asked about the meaning behind the Scots battling dragons in the mural, Steueneberg says, “He really wanted to get his dragons in, so he came up with the idea to incorporate Carlmont Scots and his dragons, and we approved it.”

Zhao’s mural is greatly appreciated by Carlmont’s student body too.“I love how detailed and dynamic it is. It makes me think of all the time, work, and genuine thought that the Carlmont artist put into this mural,” said Abby Wong, an AP Art student. Even the scales on the dragons are meticulously painted with craft and detail. The mural has remarkably stayed untouched for seven years now. In addition, Zhao’s talents have inspired other murals to be created across Carlmont’s campus. “We got lucky. We got someone that had this amazing talent and wanted to benefit the school,” Stuenenberg said.