Nolan Middle Students Help Beautify Their Campus

Nolan Middle School Arts students are trasforming their campus one portable at a time.

Students in Nolan Middle School’s year old FACTS Club (Fine Arts Club for Talented Students) are painting murals on the portable classooms that dot their campus. They recently completed their second mural under the direction of Nolan Art Teacher Wade Smith.

This year's mural is a 25-foot by 8-foot mangrove scene inspired by Emerson Point and completes the second mural in a planned series of three designed to transform the sides of the school’s portables into an impressive, outside gallery. The new mural is in close proximity to last year’s Florida wetlands scene on the northeast side of campus.

The FACTS Club’s goal is to transform the portables into a stunning mural gallery showcasing Florida's unique environments. The students paint the mural and learn the paining techniques on their own time. For the past nine week, students met after school to complete the mural.

Nancy High, Nolan's Principal, was impressed with the students' work, calling it extraordinary.

“Wade Smith has provided the guidance and leadership to assist our art students create murals that are absolutely astonishing," High said. "If I had not actually seen the students doing the artwork on their own, I would have never believed that middle school students could produce such masterpieces.”

The portable classrooms on the campus at 6615 Greenbrook Blvd, Lakewood Ranch, offer Smith the opportunity to instruct on a massive scale.

"Learning to utilize perspective and more technical concepts, the goal was to make the viewer feel as if they are standing in the actual scene,” Smith said. “Students had to re-work the composition many times to achieve those results; part of the learning process and the progression of the work.  The massive scale helped students grasp the concept. I am very proud of my students.”

In addition to being an art teacher, Smith is a well-known Florida artist. To learn more about his work, visit www.wadesmithgallery.com