Mural to stay where it is

ST. REGIS – A part of the history of the St. Regis High School will stay in place after overwhelming support was received from the community to preserve a piece of art that has stood for 35 years.

A mural depicting a pack of the school’s mascots stalking the opposing team’s bench in the gym was temporarily in danger of being painted over as part of the school’s improvement projects. After a meeting Wednesday, July 30, it was determined the mural will stay after an online survey showed most people didn’t want it painted over.

While the tiger mural is now safe from being covered up by a new coat of paint, how to improve the aesthetic quality of the painting is still being decided. Several options are being considered including framing the mural and changing the background to match the new paint job in the gym.

One of the primary proponents for keeping the mural said she was happy the community spoke up on behalf of something that has been a part of the gym since she was young student at the school. Dawn Palmer said the mural is part of the history of the school and should be preserved.

“A lot of players have played under that mural over the years,” Palmer said. “It has always been there and it’s something we should keep. The people who painted it took a lot of pride in it. There are not many gyms in the area that have something like this.”

The mural was painted during the 1978-1979 school year. The concept of the stalking tigers was the product of a former teacher at the high school, Pat Skinner. Upon approval from the school board, Skinner and that year’s class spent many hours, after school and on weekends, painting the nearly 15-foot by 15-foot, multi-hued mural of four tigers.

According to one St. Regis local familiar with the history of the mural, Brooke Lincoln, the mural is one of a kind. Lincoln stated in an e-mail the mural is one-of-a-kind in the school district. She also stated the painting was a great source of pride when it was unveiled at an all-school assembly in 1979.

As for what will be done to spruce up the 35-year-old mural, St. Regis School Superintendent Judy McKay said a committee had been formed to make that decision. McKay said an online survey tipped the scales in favor of preserving the landmark.

“We will sit down and decide what enhancements will really make it stand out,” McKay said. “It’s part of the community and we are in Tiger country. The votes were overwhelmingly in support for keeping it so we will do what the people want. People are passionate about it and it’s good to see that interest in our schools here.”

McKay said a decision would be made in the next few days regarding how to enhance the appearance of the mural.