Designs of the times
Yarmouth high school principal decorates his office with students’ artwork
Atrip to the principal’s office might never be so appealing.
Students’ artwork adorns the walls in acting principal Julian Dease’s new office at Yarmouth Consolidated Memorial High School (YCMHS).
The displays have not only showcased and piqued interest in the works of artistic students, but they’ve also opened another door to dialogue between high school students and their principal.
“We just thought it would be kind of neat to brighten up the office,” said Dease, the school’s former vice-principal. “Knowing the strength of the (art) program that we have here, it’s always nice for me to see some of the work that’s going on and have a chance to chat with some of the students when they do bring down their work.
“It’s a good way to not only talk about art, but also talk about maybe some of their other thoughts and ideas. It’s been a neat way to interact with some of the students, just branching out. It’s kind of a neat little process we’ve gone through.”
Dease became acting principal earlier this school year after longtime YCMHS principal Don Berry retired from that post and moved to an administrative job with the Tri-County regional school board. The popular Berry, 65, cleaned out an office that was filled with decades of school memories.
In collaboration with YCMHS art teachers Mark Mitchell and Nolan Fitzgerald, Dease tapped the creative talent of students to decorate his relatively sparse office.
“I usually travel pretty light, so I didn’t have a whole lot of stuff to put up,” he said.
While the drawings are an attractive addition to the room, their purpose goes beyond décor. Dease also hopes to develop an atmosphere that’s less intimidating than the traditional principal’s office.
“Quite often, when people think of going to the principal’s office, they think it’s for something negative or problematic,” he said. “But this way, it’s sort of introducing or getting a chance to meet with some other students in a positive way and opening up the doors to meet and greet some of the students that wouldn’t necessarily have a reason to come into the main office.
“It’s been good that way, opening up that dialogue, which has been great.”
Dease and his colleagues plan to rotate showings of the artwork of grades 10, 11 and 12 students through the end of the school year.
As their creations are hung on the office walls, some of the students have visited the principal’s office to check out the displays and photograph themselves with their artwork.
“We definitely have some super-talented students here that don’t always get the spotlight, so it was really nice to be able to bring them down to the office and really make them feel good about their talent,” Dease said. “It’s definitely positive and a huge win-win for everybody that’s involved. It’s incredible artwork.”
He praised teachers Mitchell and Fitzgerald, along with their students, for nurturing a tradition of art excellence at the school and continuing a program that Dave Baldwin built before his retirement.
“It’s kind of neat. The art program that we’ve had here has really been strong for a lot of years and it has continued on. It’s been really popular.”
That focus on art is evident in multiple parts of the school, including musically inspired images in the music area and mathematically designed murals in the math section.
In the school’s main hallway, a lengthy display area features artwork from entire classes on a rotating basis.
“It’s really front and centre,” Dease said. “When students come in the building, they see that right on. Quite often, you see students are down there looking at it or admiring all the work that’s gone on, the different techniques and different styles that are used. It’s pretty awesome to check out.
“It always catches my eye anytime I’m walking down the hall. Sometimes I’ll see something that maybe I hadn’t looked at before.”
In similar fashion, students check out the principal’s office to admire their art creations or to chat with Mr. Dease, as he’s known in school circles.
“It opens up some of that positive dialogue that’s always great, especially now with all the stuff that’s been going on with people talking about COVID,” he said.
“Getting to interact with people has been, really, sort of an icebreaker for some good conversation.”
In the acting principal’s chair since Berry’s departure at the end of October, Dease said he has embraced his new job, even with the complications of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“It’s been great. There are obviously challenges — certainly, we’re in some challenging times — but it’s definitely a challenge that I welcomed. I’d been the vice-principal here already, so it’s sort of stepping into a familiar position, but at the same time a new position. The staff has been really great and, so far, it’s been really positive. I’ve really enjoyed everything that goes on. We’ll see how it goes from here.”