Grand Island Senior High Students Paint Hope and Connection at GI Regional

Grand Island Regional Medical Center’s hallways have a vibrant new look, thanks to a collaboration with art students from Grand Island Senior High. 

This was the second year the hospital partnered with the high school's advanced art students to create murals that reflect the hospital's core values. The project isn't just about decorating walls; it’s about infusing a space often associated with stress and uncertainty with messages of hope, compassion, and perseverance.
 

The partnership began two years ago with a simple but meaningful request: to create artwork based on the hospital's core values. Art teacher Micki Nuss explained that the hospital reached out to her and her fellow art teachers about the project, which they hope to continue doing each year. The students were each given one of the hospital's seven core values and tasked with translating it into a visual masterpiece.

The core values of the hospital are: Know the Way, Show the Way; One Team, One Purpose; Spread a Smile, Go the Extra Mile; Live It, Own It; Care Like Crazy; Motivate, Appreciate; and Enjoy the Journey.

One of the student artists, senior Lila Romero, chose the value centered around "going the extra mile," which she translated into a powerful visual piece. 

"In my head, 'the mile' took me to a train, because a train travels," Lila explained. "And for 'the smile,' I chose a sunflower," she said. 
 

Her painting depicts train tracks stretching into the distance, lined with bright sunflowers, symbolizing hope and the long journey of healing.

This year, eight art students in Mr. Chris Holton’s advanced art class created seven murals for the hospital to display. The project, while outside the normal realm of assignments, was still done for a grade and with the same standards and expectations as any other project. 

The students' creative freedom was key to the project's success. Holton explained that students were given the values and encouraged to select the one that resonated with them most. They then developed their designs, which were reviewed and approved by teachers, creating a collaborative environment where students could freely express their ideas while staying true to the project's purpose.
 

“I still think some of the students don't realize the importance of the work and how it could communicate to individuals,” Holton said, noting that the students’ art will impact many people who are at the hospital for different reasons. “We try to stress the importance of art and the ability to express yourself and communicate, but it's oftentimes taught within the class, and it's seen as something done within the class. So having the art exist outside of the school and for this purpose is really cool,” Holton said.

He added that the students did a really good job handling the responsibility of doing a project that is commission-like, and understanding that this is going to continue to be displayed in the public for years to come.

The project is a point of pride for both the students and teachers. 

Mrs. Nuss recalled a deeply personal moment when she was at the hospital for the birth of her daughter, and saw her students' artwork on display. She knew that while not everyone would have her unique connection to the art, they would still find a sense of comfort and a more welcoming environment because of the art students’ work.

“I tell the kids every single time, ‘your art project is not complete until someone else sees it’,” Nuss said. “That is the final step in the art project. You can keep adding brush strokes. You can keep adding different amounts of color…But the final step is when a viewer sees it and has an impact from it. Even then, the art project is never fully complete, because it's going to keep having a lasting impact on multiple people,” she said. 
 

Nuss said the GISH students getting to see their artwork in the community gives them a sense of belonging and pride, knowing they are helping others.

Lila spoke to the impact she hopes to make and what she wants to convey through her art displayed at the hospital. 

“I want them [those viewing her painting] to see how even though the journey might seem long, like how the train lasts, there's always a stop stopping point, and end point where the journey comes to,” Lila shared. “I want them to see there is hope, and whatever hardship they may be facing, it won’t last forever.”

Nuss said the partnership with the Grand Island Regional Medical Center has been a positive experience. She said she hopes to continue the project each year and continue filling the hospital walls, as it’s a testament to the power of art and community collaboration.

Art students & the value they portrayed in their painting:

• "Know the Way, Show the Way" - Aimee Ceron Alarcon and Sumaya Omar
• "One Team, One Purpose" - Andres Perez Tabares
• "Spread a Smile, Go the Extra Mile" - Laila Romero
• "Live it, Own it" - Mariana Torres
• "Care Like Crazy" - Emily Marrero Miranda
• "Motivate, Appreciate" - Jazlyn Favela
• "Enjoy the Journey" - Ashlyn Vieyra

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