WAIMEA — In an outdoor courtyard at Waimea High, two seascape murals face each other, reflecting the journey students travel from freshman year to graduation. On one wall, a shark bears a menacing but toothy grin, staring down a blank scroll, while across the courtyard a honu smiles sweetly, floating beside 180-plus signatures of students with diplomas in hand.
In 2020, a new tradition began as part of the Freshman Academy at Waimea High serving as an opportunity for the freshman class to bond and commit with their signature to stay in school and graduate as one class. The result: colorful murals now populate the campus and represent the unique values of each class.
“The mural is important for the class since it contains their pledge to graduate — a promise that they need to graduate and their signatures will be placed in the mural. It also promotes a sense of belonging because everyone is involved in deciding what to do, including the design,” freshman advisor and biology teacher Cherry Valera said.
Driven by the class council each year, a Freshman Mural Committee is formed and open to any student volunteers willing to lead, garner involvement from the class and ultimately rally classmates to paint the chosen design. For this class, that process meant a series of votes — first on the class color, then on the class animal and flower. Once these elements are decided, a student artist creates the design incorporating them. For the Class of 2029, they are purple, a shark and the tiare flower.
What initially looks like purple kelp in the mural is actually “aura” radiating from the shark. “It’s also like people’s ʻaumakua,” Freshman Class President Olivia Cassidy said. “A spirit animal with strong aura.”
Clusters of white pua tiare that pepper the mural’s edges were chosen as a symbol of friendship and sense of place. “If you notice how they’re grouped together, it kind of shows our community and our school,” Cassidy said. “Tiare is also a flower that you see a lot on the island.”
Over 12 days, a team of volunteers brought the design to life. Valera described the painting weeks as some of the most joyful of the year — students talk story while painting and laughter is audible throughout the courtyard. Ninth graders who hardly knew each other in August finish the project in April as friends.
“Signing Day” for the freshmen to commit to graduate comes the last week of class — after the seniors graduate and they step into their shoes. Valera said the moment never loses its significance. “You can see their smiles while signing and the excitement as they say the line, ‘I will graduate,’ as they sign,” she said. “Whenever they look at the wall, they will be reminded that they have to fulfill their pledge to graduate.”
What was once a blank wall full of possibility has become the record of a promise to keep.
Valera’s hope for her ninth graders carries the spirit of the mural itself. “May their path to graduation in 2029 be filled with curiosity, resilience and meaningful friendships,” she said. “May they step across the stage not just with a diploma, but with the confidence to shape a bright and impactful future.”
