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Wave of students, teachers contribute to giant mural

EDGERTON — Edgerton High School’s principal plans to retire at the end of the year, but one of his most famous deeds will live on in the field house hallway.

Jim Halberg is just one of the people alumni will recognize in a 260-foot mural painted by students over the last six years. He’s pictured skydiving after the school won a radio contest to “Tell Your Boss to Take a Leap.”

The school officially will unveil the completed mural at an open house Monday, Feb. 23.

Former art teacher Fred Maves thought up the “crimson tide” mural after the school remodeled its field house in 2000 and 2001.

“The original idea was to have a continuous wave,” he said.

The wave starts by curling around a painting of the high school. It then turns a corner and becomes a filmstrip, a putting green, musical bars and other items representing student activities.

Student painters used photographs of actual students projected onto the wall to sketch the details. The student council donated paint and supplies.

Many students—some current, some former—have worked on the mural since it got started in 2003. Maves originally had students paint after school, but when that didn’t get the job done fast enough, he created an art mural class.

Ross Harried enjoyed the work so much he returned the summer after he graduated in 2006 to touch up the wrestling, basketball, and track and field portions.

“I liked it so much, and people liked the work that I was doing on it, so some of the teachers asked me to come back and punch up some of the areas and even work on some new areas,” he said.

Harried now is studying graphic design at UW-Stout.

Painters included lots of detail in the project. Careful observers will see a discus flying through the air over a runner and a dot marking Edgerton in a globe representing the student exchange program.

Art teacher Hannah Diedrich took over the project after Maves retired in 2006.

The mural seemed daunting at first because some sections were half-finished, she said.

“What was really fun were the parts that were completely blank,” she said.

Students said they enjoyed the work and like knowing they left a permanent mark on the school.

“It just looked cool, I guess, and I wanted to be a part of it,” said senior Elissa Weger, who has worked on the mural since sophomore year.

The project might not be done. Maves said his only regret was he didn’t think to paint an image of custodian Marty Haugen cleaning up some stray paint.

Haugen was patient with the mess students created over several years, Maves said.

Halberg immediately pointed to a bare patch of wall next to the gym doors.

“Right here,” he said.