"To see something we worked so hard on to be removed in the span of 48 hours was shocking," said Leah Sadoian, a graduate of the Class of 2010.
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Sadoian served in student government as a high school senior and watched as her classmates sold concessions, put on dances, and organized bake sales to raise $5000 over four years. Even former teachers were upset to see that hard work and legacy coated over with new paint.
"A lot of thought usually goes into their senior gifts, it's so upsetting to me that they would just wipe it out," said Shelly Henderson, the former student council faculty advisor.
All the anger prompted the principal to post a message on Facebook. He explained the removal was a difficult yet necessary decision. He told us on the phone the mural's clear coat and seal was deteriorating in the sun, that's why he approved the idea for the Class of 2018 to paint a new one in the same location.
"I don't know how you can make this right," said Henderson. "It's such a travesty and I don't know how you can ever repair the hurt feelings caused by this."
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The principal says he told the Class of 2010's faculty advisor and assumed students in this year's graduating class would have reached out to the alumni. Sadoian says that never happened.
"To think that you could talk to a teacher and assume that's enough permission, that's a total lapse of judgment," said Sadoian.
The new mural by the Class of 2018 does credit the Class of 2010, but alumni say they want their own history back. The principal says he has received several emails from concerned former graduates and welcomes them to discuss possible solutions with him at any time.