Hoover Middle School unveils mural worked on by students

The Hoover Middle School campus has an extra pop of color after students and a local artist completed a mural with a message that also represents the school.

The mural was unveiled to parents, administrators and school board members during a ceremony Thursday.

The mural, on the outside of the gym, features scenes of students doing various activities, from reading to graduating. It was inspired by the school’s Husky Pack, a teachable acronym that stands for prepared, accountable, compassionate and knowledgeable.

More than 20 students worked on the mural for about two months under the leadership of Ruben Sanchez as part of an after-school enrichment program, Merced City School District officials said. During Thursday’s ceremony, Sanchez told the young artists they should be proud to know their work will be viewed by future generations.

Principal Julie Rivard said she was excited to offer the opportunity to students. She was involved in creating three other campus murals with students more than a decade ago when she was a teacher at the school and saw how engaged students were.

Sanchez also restored the existing three murals on campus so they’d look just as vibrant as the new mural for the ceremony.

This story was originally published May 27, 2016 at 12:12 PM with the headline "Hoover Middle School unveils mural worked on by students."