By Rachel Peterson
In fall of 2023, Cleveland High School parent Murielle Adair reached out to the Cleveland art department with an idea for a mural along a frequently tagged wall near the high school. Over the course of the next 18 months, a group of Cleveland High School students came together to plan, sketch and paint a mural spanning half a block with the aim of encouraging more positive community involvement and less graffiti.
After securing around a dozen student volunteers, Adair took pictures of the wall, pieced the pictures together and the students spent two days brainstorming before getting started. Maddy Hendricks, Celia Roehl and Franka Gronke led much of the project; Olivia Palmer, Zora Forsberg, Luisa Scharf Hoffman and Adila Harrison contributed artistically.
“It was really their concept,” Adair said. “I just helped with bringing 40 paint cans almost every weekend and all the supplies.” The students decided on a sweeping landscape full of iconic Oregon landmarks from “Hood to Coast,” as well as landmarks familiar to the Cleveland community. Mt. Hood, the Willamette river, several of Portland’s bridges and Burgerville all adorn the 200 foot wall, along with the school’s unofficial mascot “Grover,” hidden in various spots.
The idea for the mural stemmed from Adair’s deep frustration with graffiti, combined with past experience painting murals as a deterrent. For Adair, the process was a dual effort to beautify the community and discourage graffiti, and the community embraced it wholeheartedly.
“The neighbors were bringing us water and couldn’t stop telling us how much they loved it,” Adair noted, “Everyone was super supportive.”
As the project started in the fall of 2023, students progressed with the mural alongside their high school career. Many of the students started the work as sophomores and juniors, finishing it as juniors and seniors.
“There’s pride that comes with completing such a project,” said Gronke, a current Cleveland junior who started the project as a sophomore. “It was really a test to my own dedication and perseverance.”
Throughout the process, students got busier, seasons changed and the mural itself got tagged multiple times. Additionally, with around a dozen students working on the project at different points, ideas and styles differed, and agreeing on a cohesive idea was a challenge. However, when Adair set a deadline for Spring of 2025, the students delivered, celebrating with a ribbon cutting ceremony to announce the mural’s completion on May 10.
For the students, they hope that it is more than just art on a wall. The students will cherish this experience for a long time, and the hope is that it will show their community that this time spent is something Cleveland truly deserves.
“I hope people see this mural and it inspires them to participate in our community more,” said Cleveland junior Roehl. For Roehl, the mural was an especially impactful full-circle moment. After having her sixth grade year at Hosford cut short due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the dream to paint a mural before leaving her middle school was shut down. When the opportunity came to volunteer, she jumped at the chance.
“It’d be really cool if this mural impacted other people the same way walking through Hosford as a sixth grader impacted me,” Roehl commented. With a hope to create more mural pieces in the future, Roehl also mentioned how much of a learning experience this had been for her. Figuring out what went well, what didn’t and what she would do differently next time served her in a way that won’t be forgotten.
In addition to experience, this project provided students with growth in many other skill sets. For Gronke, one of the most influential parts of this project was a boost in confidence. Completing a long term project, especially one of this size, from beginning to end was assuring.
“They’re really cool kids,” said Adair. “Really just impressive.” The most meaningful outcome for Adair was student-centered. With the bond that included progress towards Cleveland’s remodel under debate recently, it was rewarding to see the students accept the fact that they truly deserve the betterment of their community. “They deserve all of it. They deserve to have a beautiful mural on their walls, and they deserve a new high school,” she said.
The mural is located at SE 25th Ave. and SE Franklin St.
Cleveland High School mural. Photo by Rachel Peterson.
