Inside the Mural for the Class of ’25

At Somerville High School, sprawling murals cover and color the halls, marking distinct moments in our school’s history. An airplane parts thick blue clouds in a stairwell, commemorating the graduating Class of 2008. Nearby, a roller coaster chugs down spiraling tracks, representing the Class of 2011.

These class murals have been part of a long-lasting tradition at SHS, and a staple of the school community for decades. Now, a new mural has sprung up on the first floor, recognizing the Class of 2025.

Depicting the ever-changing and diverse image of a coral reef, this year’s mural was painted by artists Luke Bursack and Fontaine Gatti. The two seniors were given the opportunity to develop this year’s class mural after being voted “Most Artistic Male,” and “Most Artistic Female,” respectively.

“Funny story… I didn’t actually know I’d have to paint the mural if I won best artist until my friend told me,” Gatti explained. 

Yet Gatti had been looking at the walls around her for years, thinking of all of the artists who came before her. When she received the news, Gatti was incredibly grateful that she and Bursack were the ones entrusted with this great responsibility.

Likewise, Bursack had always dreamt of painting the mural someday, cherishing the possibility all throughout his time at SHS. 

“Being able to paint it feels so surreal and I’m very excited to do so, even though it is such a massive undertaking,” Bursack said. 

This mural is far from the duo’s first foray into the art world at Somerville High School, however. In fact, Bursack and Gatti have been highly involved in the school’s art program for years. 

Bursack has been taking art classes since middle school, including three classes at Somerville High School, and has served as the President of the National Art Honor Society since the start of his senior year. 

Gatti has also been highly active in art-related activities at the high school, having taken two art classes during her time here. In addition to these classes, Gatti has taken college-level art courses online with the Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD), the university she plans to attend in the fall. 

After being selected to paint the mural, the two artists immediately got to work brainstorming their ideas.

“Me and Fontaine both really love fish and the ocean, so we really wanted to do something with that,” Bursack explained. “We decided we wanted to do a coral reef to represent the diversity of our school.”

“Every individual (or fish) excels at different things, and we will eventually swim off in our own directions,” said Gatti. “The world is our oyster.”

After settling on this idea, they jumped straight into the first steps of the mural’s creation. The process began with Gatti creating a sketch on the digital art application Procreate, which she then shared with Bursack. 

“This part was easy because I had been sketching what I wanted on the corners of homework assignments, in my sketchbooks, and my journal as soon as I figured out we would be in charge of the mural,” Gatti explained.

After Facetime calls in which they tweaked and perfected this sketch together, they eventually settled on the final blueprint for their mural, and sent it off for approval. The sketch was approved the first time they asked. 

From then on the project was in full swing. Using large brushes and copious amounts of paint, Gatti and Bursack frequently met after school, working on the mural as much as they possibly could, sometimes for as long as 5 or 7 hours at a time. 

Though the work was tiring, the two thoroughly enjoyed working with each other.

“I will admit I can get stressed out easily, so I might have been a little tough to work with.” Gatti said. “I hyperfixate on mistakes (spilled paint being one of them), but Luke was able to handle my nagging, sarcasm, and ‘death glares,’ as he put it.”

Now that the mural has been completed, Bursack and Gatti ruminate on the ways in which their work might be received in the future. 

“I really hope that the mural will be perceived as a great representation of our class: a diverse group of people who always put in the effort and passion into what they do,” Bursack wished.

Gatti shared the same sentiment, stating, “I hope my class accepts it as a worthy representation of us… not only are Luke and I representing ourselves with this mural, but we are representing our friends, acquaintances, classmates, and people we haven’t even talked to [before].” 

With all of their hard work and dedication, Bursack and Gatti’s wishes will surely be honored. 

Through the creation of this mural, the two artists have undoubtedly left a mark on their school community. The words “an ocean of opportunities” hang above their work, offering up a world of possibilities to their fellow graduates. 

With this ambitious and heartfelt undertaking, Bursack and Gatti have captured the spirit of the Class of 2025, and given new life and meaning to the halls of Somerville High School.