According to assistant principal Eric Nelson, the murals in the language hallways are going to be removed from the walls.  Nelson said that the walls will be pressure scrubbed over the summer because “all of the hallway blocks and grout areas on the first floor have significant build-up of grease, dirt, and contaminants that have accumulated and caked on over the past twenty years.” Unfortunately, due to this cleaning the murals will be damaged.

As a result, students were not allowed to paint new murals in the language hallways for May Term this year, “primarily because of the repaint being done over the summer,” stated Nelson.  However, Nelson affirmed that, “discussions have occurred with several teachers about possible murals in the future.”

Many students taking a language on the lower level feel that the murals are a beloved aspect of the language hallway, including junior Ken Shimizu, who commented, “the murals are fun to walk by, and add a certain character to the language hallway.”  As such, many people are disappointed that the murals are being removed because of their visual attractiveness, and their visible testament to the artistic and creative prowess of Edina High School students.  Spanish teacher Erik Gronberg said of the removal of the murals, “we’re pretty bummed down here.”

While there is no doubt that the cleaning of the walls in the language hallway is a necessary measure to maintain the sanitary cleanliness of Edina High School, the treasured murals will be missed by students and faculty.