Edwardsville High Senior to Finish Community Art Project Before Graduation

EDWARDSVILLE - An Edwardsville High School senior is leading a community art project to paint the EHS pedestrian tunnel.

With just a few weeks left in her high school career, Jazmin Hayes decided she wanted to leave a legacy at the high school and beautify the tunnel for the students and staff members who use it every day. She approached art teacher Cassie Flynn, and they worked together to create a plan. Painting begins next week and Hayes couldn’t be more excited.

“I feel like I’ve had so many great opportunities at the school,” Hayes said. “I wanted to give something back to this school. I’ve gotten a great education, a great art experience, just everything that’s helped me in the future. So I wanted to leave something here that would be special to myself, but also my peers, my teachers, the staff, everybody.”

Hayes shared that her older brother, who was also a student leader at EHS, originally mentioned the idea to her when she was a freshman. For the past four years, she has been dreaming about making this vision a reality.

“It’s always been kind of just gross in there, and the walls were not very nice,” Hayes explained. “I know we want to make the school really nice and look inclusive and stuff. So why don’t we paint something in here and have it represent our school and what we have to offer?”

As president of the National Art Honor Society and a member of the AP art class, Hayes was eager to get other students involved. The Student Council voiced their support for the project and has offered to help with supplies and snacks, while the AP art class and National Art Honor Society will help paint in the coming days.

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With Hayes’s graduation fast approaching, Flynn took to her personal Facebook page and put out a request for supplies. Within 24 hours, several local businesses had pledged their assistance. It was “cool and exciting” and “shocking” to see so many people step forward to support the school’s beautification and help a student’s dream come true, Flynn said.

Flynn and Hayes began working together on the tunnel’s design. They plan to paint tiger stripes along the tunnel, with the goal of eventually paying homage to each department with a painting to represent each one.

Flynn noted that this extra design might not be finished in time, but she thinks this could also be an exciting part of the project if next year’s students were able to participate, as well. But she emphasized that she is excited to help Hayes recognize her vision, as Hayes has been a devoted member of the art department.

“I wanted to make it happen for her,” Flynn said.

She added that she is typically “kind of out of gas” by the end of the school year, but she has been reenergized by Hayes’s passion for this project. The teacher-student duo is determined to make it happen.

After graduation, Hayes plans to attend the University of Illinois in Chicago to study psychology and art. She hopes to become a forensic psychologist, but art will stay with her throughout her life.

The tunnel is sanded and primed, and Hayes is finalizing her design. Painting will start next week. It’s exciting for all of the students involved, but Hayes is especially eager — and proud.

“It’s so exciting. I’ve really been wanting to do this for such a long time,” she added. “I don’t want to leave this school until it’s done.”

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