While most spent February break relaxing on a beach or skiing in the mountains, Kristina Rogers ‘19 spent her time in the empty stairwell of South, working hard to paint a new mural in the IA Building bridge.

The Legacy Project is a way for art students to give back to the school and to make the school in a more beautiful place than it was before, according to art teacher Micki Buksar-Cecil.

“We view the Legacy Project as something that you are giving back to the school, giving back to the students. The importance is to make it (the school) better for others as they move into the department,” Cecil said.

Rogers has been hoping to complete the Legacy Project since she was first introduced to the idea her freshman year. She thought the experience of painting a mural was enjoyable.

“It was fun to just come paint on the walls when nobody was here, and actually putting it ( the mural) up was a good time,” Rogers said.

According to Rogers, her inspiration for the Legacy Project came from the concentration of one of her classes.

“The AP classes that I’m in definitely change how I process and how I start a piece. I’m inspired by how I go through life and like what happens to me in a daily format,” Rogers said.

According to Buksar-Cecil, who has been Rogers’ art teacher throughout high school, she felt that Rogers was an ideal candidate to complete the Legacy Project.

“Kristina is highly motivated, extremely driven; she’s a very talented artist,” Buskar-Cecil said. “She’s well rounded from academics, to her art, to her extracurricular activities.”

According to Buksar-Cecil, certain requirements must be met in order to have a mural approved.

“The process is a proposal and a student has to take photographs of the area, take measurements of the area, get all of that into the computer and do an overlay on the actual area itself,” Buksar-Cecil said.

Principal Moussa Hamka, who is involved in the approval process, believes the Legacy Project is an important way to enhance the culture and beautification of the school.

“It’s refreshing to walk through that passageway and see art instead of just a plain boring wall,” Hamka said. “It brings a little excitement but it also brings a little curiosity to the art.”

According to Hamka, the Legacy Project is a great way for both the administration and students to appreciate and honor the art department.

“Our students are simply phenomenal,” Hamka said. “Appreciating them and recognizing them and honoring them validates the hard work that they’ve put in.”

According to Rogers, she hopes that her mural will inspire future students and incoming freshmen at South.

“I hope it inspires other freshmen that come in and they know they want to do art,” Rogers said. “They look at it and they think “I wanna do bigger things with my art and I want to try and excel as much as I can.”