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Mural a vision of a departing principal
Friday, June 19, 2009
 Click here to enlarge this photo Staff photo by LAURA BUCK
Mural artist Mary Beth Harry, left, poses in front of her creation with outgoing Mount Harmony Elementary School Principal Tony Navarro and incoming Principal Elizabeth Gebelein. It was Navarro's idea to have the mural portraying student activities initially painted.
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While many students spend their school days looking at pictures of scenes from another place and time, Mount Harmony Elementary students see something a bit more familiar. They see themselves.
This is thanks to an elaborate mural that was started at the school three years ago by Lusby-based artist Mary Beth Harry, who explained that the mural's newest addition, a depiction of Mount Harmony's departing principal Tony Navarro, is particularly close to her heart.
"Tony just loves having this mural … I didn't want him to leave and not be represented," Harry said of Navarro, who will become principal of the Calvert Career Center in Prince Frederick after 10 years with Mount Harmony Elementary School in Owings.
It was Navarro who made the painting of the mural possible after he had seen similar projects in his travels.
"I thought it would be nice for people to be reminded of the activities we have at Mount Harmony," said Navarro, who selected Harry out of four artists who submitted sketches.
Harry, whose work is displayed at CalvART Gallery in Prince Frederick, said that she has since worked on the mural about two to three times a year.
"It's an unusual mural because most schools don't have anything like this … it involves all the kids," Harry said.
One thing she does not do in the mural is depict actual students' faces.
"I use generic faces … that way they don't feel like anybody is getting special treatment," she said.
Harry is, on the other hand, specific about portraying the activities students participate in at school. The mural displays everything from "muffins with mom" to the fourth grade skip-jack trip to students outside of the Dunkirk Safeway to field-day.
A particular favorite of the students, Navarro said, are the animals depicted in the scene displaying the school field trip to the zoo.
"There's more to a school than just academics … [the mural portrays] the activity we have at our school," Navarro said, adding that in addition to enjoying the mural's bright colors, students also enjoy watching Harry paint.
"Maybe one of them will become a muralist one day," he said.
And Harry said that it's actually the youngsters who have given her some insight in how to paint a few Mount Harmony sightings.
"Kids are very aware; they can see things before we can, sometimes," she said.
Though Navarro is planning to come back and see future updates to the mural, he said that he is "excited to go to a new building and work with older children."
Replacing him is Vice Principal Elizabeth Gebelein, who said she is excited to see the mural develop even more.
When asked if she, too, expected to eventually be incorporated into the work of art, she laughed, "I don't know. I hope not."
Navarro said that he disagrees, telling his successor "You probably will be, one day."
