New mural adds to Meadowlark atmosphere

A new sight will greet students trekking through Meadowlark Elementary’s back hallway on the first day of school.

Gone are the days of lined up filing cabinets and Spongebob Squarepants seascapes. In their place, a new peaceful and serene landscape now graces the wall – a mountainscape flaunting seven layers of colors paired with a desert scene complete with trees and a beaming sun.

Paige Stevens and Allison Rosengrant, two of the school’s parent-teacher organization members, began painting the Wyoming-themed vistas last week, coming in Monday through Friday to work on the new hallway scenery. They hope to finish up the scenes this week, finalizing details and touching up any missed spots well before students make their way into the building in mid-August.

The mural is one of many updates the school has seen throughout the last few years. Principal Lindy Watt said the subtle improvements each year have created a more comfortable and inviting environment for both the kids and staff.

“In the last few years, we’ve really tried to make this school our own,” she said. “To make it a place where kids and staff are excited to come back to.”

Ranging from a new playground to lighting, slick paint jobs, affirmations in student bathrooms and a smattering of personal décor, the customizations have added up over time and given students something to keep an eye out for.

“I love watching the kids come in on the first day,” Watt said. “They walk through the halls trying to see what’s different from the year before.”

Thanks to Stevens and Rosengrant, the students will have at least one easy-to-spot facelift. Let’s see how many others they sleuth out!