VPAA senior, Yelena Sanyer will be painting the Class of 2022 senior mural. Senior class murals have been a tradition since our school opened in 1989, but we don’t have one from every year. There are several gaps including 2020 and 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Sanyer’s design was chosen from a pool of submissions, and it was one of two possible mural designs she submitted.

“[Sunny is] watching the sunset at the beach because it’s like the sun ‘setting’ on our time here at Salem,” said Sanyer. “The sunset is red, creating a black silhouette of Sunny to match our school colors.”

The design also has Sunny holding up a peace sign, or “deuces,” symbolizing the year 2022 while also being a way of saying goodbye.

“I like the playfulness of the design; the colors are reminiscent of a sunrise encompassing both our SunDevil community and the new dawn as our seniors graduate and move on to their exciting new endeavors,” said Class of 2022 sponsor Mrs. Kristi Patton.

There is no definitive date for when the mural will be finished, but Sanyer says it will be done sometime around mid May.

“Yelena is one of the most talented SunDevil artists ever to walk the halls of Salem! She created the LEAD logo, also,” said Patton. “She will have left quite an artistic legacy at SHS.” 

Patton added that “with so many disruptions to the last few years for our seniors, I felt it was important for the class of 2022 to have a lasting legacy on the walls of Salem High School. Resurrecting the tradition of [a] class mural [is] a simple, visual way for our seniors to be remembered and celebrated. So with administration approval, the tradition continues!”

Once the mural is complete, it will be posted in the 500 hallway right next to the Student Activities door, alongside the previous senior murals.

“I hope that this encourages more people to participate in opportunities like this,” said Sanyer. “We haven’t had a class mural painted since the pandemic started, so I’m proud that I have the honor of restarting the tradition.”

Sanyer’s artwork has also been featured at the oceanfront’s VIBE District. Learn more about that here.