Why does the new school look so plain?
Work by Photography students displayed on the sixth floor. New hanging systems have been put up throughout Lincoln to allow students to display work.
Although the new building is cleaner and more modern than the previous one, the walls remain blank and undecorated, a stark difference from the old buildings’ many murals and posters. The contrast in decorative styles is due to the one year warranty on the new building.
Lincoln’s business manager, Jill Ross, explained the warranty as a period for repairs to be made by building contractors. During this time, teachers must be careful not to damage walls by incorrectly hanging posters.
To make sure no damage is done, poster hanging systems are on order, and will be installed soon.
“The goal is to be able to use this building for 75+ years and keep it in good shape for future generations. Poster hanging systems make it easy for new teachers to come in and put new posters up in classrooms,” said Ross.
One teacher who has found a way to decorate creatively is Spanish teacher Trevor Todd.
“I always have a lot of things I want to look at. I keep visuals around. I have a lot of movie posters around the room,” Todd said. “I have things that aren’t just flat on the wall, I have more 3D stuff.”
When it comes to creating his classroom, Todd wants to foster an inclusive and joyful space.
“[The warranty] gets in the way of making spaces welcoming [and] being able to put up student work, which in a lot of classes is super important so people feel like it’s their space and celebrates the things they’re able to do,” Todd said. “There’s also ways to work around that. I feel like we can be creative with it for now.”
Gauri Bhingarde, a sophomore student in the 2D Design 3-4 class, appreciated the student art in the old Lincoln building, which she said brought it character.
“I miss the checkered walls in the gym, I miss the murals above the lockers,” Bhingarde said.
One of Bhingarde’s favorite parts of the old building is the visual history represented through student artwork.
“I think it’s cool to see how all the art gets piled up over the years,” Bhingarde said.
Some student work is already being showcased on the sixth floor using the poster hanging systems. As long as students get their posters approved by the office, they can also display them in the hallways.
