Cleveland High School, originally built in 1916, is one of the oldest schools in the PPS district, carrying rich history in the building’s structure itself. Perhaps its most distinguishing characteristic is its unique murals.
From the moment students enter the building, they’re greeted by a plethora of colorful artwork primarily done by students over the years. No two murals are alike, with a blue sea filled with swimming fish on one wall, while the friendly Sesame Street character and school mascot, Grover, greets you on the next.
“The murals are one of the distinctive features of this place, and there’s been a lot of student expression that’s been appreciated,” said Jan Watt, a beloved former teacher who is still actively involved at the school and truly embodies the spirit of the Cleveland community.
A school built 100 years ago carries wear and tear along with its history though. Cleveland was put on the list of schools to be remodeled in 2011, the plan pushed back over the years despite the accumulating issues. With repairs costing more than they’re worth, a plan for a new school was approved in 2024, and the necessary bond passed in May 2025.
Cleveland High School is scheduled for its much needed remodel in June 2026, however, this construction will completely demolish its signature murals and artwork.
“Our stuff is no longer working. It just requires repairs that are not feasible anymore. But for me, I was here for 56 years. That is big. You know, there’s a lot of history in this place,” said Watt.
After teaching journalism for years, Watt moved to the role of event coordinator at Cleveland, and was involved in coordinating many murals that are still on walls today.
She recalled the postcard painted by a group of art students in the hallway of the East Wing in 1976 as Cleveland’s first mural. As time went by, mural painting wasn’t just for art students, but became a medium for any student’s voice.
“It’s been anyone that wants to come up with a proposal. Clubs have done them. Athletics, but not just in an athletic context, but also special interest groups such as the Constitution Team, and, you know, things students specialize in. They’ve all contributed,” Watt said.
Many murals reside in the East Wing, where art classrooms are located, but miscellaneous murals are also scattered throughout the school, some tucked away in classrooms, others on hallways that are impossible to ignore. Although she couldn’t choose a single favorite,
Watt noted that the one done by the Building Consent Culture club stood out to her.
The mural features blooming and colorful flowers prompting the message, “Healthy relationships bloom with consent.”
“It’s an area where you see it both coming down this way and going up that way. So it’s a focal point,” she said. Watt hopes that after the remodel students who work on murals in the future choose more deliberate locations for their messages as this mural did.
Ezra Ereckson, a graphic design teacher, on the other hand, had a different mural that was significant to him.
As the teacher of Cleveland’s Alliance for Racial Equity, he supervised the mural of a black girl surrounded by space with the quote, “Dear Black Girls, show them why the sun kisses your skin like no other…written in your melanin is a fairytale of how one star fell in love with another. Live so freely, comfortably, and beautifully in your skin.”
“The reason for the mural was to empower Black students and to put meaning on the walls,” said Kennidee Gillespie, who was the main student organizer of this mural in 2021.
Ereckson had a similar perspective on the importance of the mural, but acknowledged that there was no way around the remodel.
“It’s too bad no one ever really thought about preserving these murals. Maybe in the future we could paint on plywood instead of directly on the walls, but yeah, I’d say the remodel is 100 percent worth it,” Ereckson said.
“None of those are going to be preserved unless, and I know there’s a way to do this, but I’m certainly not one to explain it. You can reproduce murals in a way. It would be very difficult to transfer, and yeah it would take all that care and time before the building is leveled,” Watt mentioned.
No one wants the murals to be lost, but preserving them would be a difficult task due to resource and time constraints. Some see it as simply too impractical.
“Some murals may be more meaningful than others, but honestly, I think they hold more meaning to the artist than the community. Murals over time, tend to lose their luster and people stop noticing. But the memories of making it, and some do it with their friends, makes it meaningful,” noted LeeAnne Burgess, an art teacher at Cleveland.
Murals have been a way for individuals to share their art and contribute to the school, leaving a lasting impact long after they graduate. Despite this loss, it is almost unanimous in the community of Cleveland that the benefits of a new building outweighs the cost, but the murals will not be forgotten.
“I hope they don’t give up on murals, and some of them may be department related, depending on where in the building they are, but I would like to think they’re not just going to disappear. It’s a respect to what we have and what we have used as part of our identity,” said Watt.
After the remodel, it is hoped by many that new murals will be painted, and the walls will be filled with color once again, to continue on Cleveland’s legacy of artistic self-expression.
