What’s better than starting the new school year than with a celebration of outstanding students? Completing the work on July 12, local muralist Timothy Smith worked with the AP art students to create “Momentum,” a mural adjacent to the track that showcases several of LBHS’s finest.

“I photographed a lot of students that go to LBHS from different activity groups. I wanted to have them all doing different things in the same space, and capture the underlining energy of high school. All the characters come into the scene with a different personality and that makes it feel more like a community. The weird perspective also gives it a quirky twist,” said Smith.

Smith was aiming for a design that would “pop” out at the viewer. He met with the AP art class at LBHS and had the students create their own version of a mural on a blank sheet of paper. He then pulled different aspects from the various concepts to influence the main design. One could say that the new mural has a piece of each student’s creativity embedded in it.

“I love the mural. I think it’s really representative of our campus, and I think it’s bright and cheery, and it’s a nice way to enter the campus,” said English department chair Dawn Hunnicutt, whose students enjoy a direct view of the mural just beyond their classroom window.

Hunnicutt, accompanied by art teacher Bridget Beaudry-Porter, worked together as they envisioned the plain wall as a blank canvas. They wanted it to be representative of the diversity of the school— not only of activities but of the entire student body as well. Both teachers were inspired by Smith’s work in the Laguna Canyon and contacted him to create the new landmark of the school.

“I was really excited about being in the mural! It’s something that is going to be here at Laguna for a long time, so I am really honored to represent the LBHS band, and the school in general. Maybe my kids will see it someday,” said junior and band student Sierra Read, who was selected by band director Jeremy Chung.

Adding a lot of color and uniqueness to the campus, the mural captures the admirable qualities of the talented people at LBHS.

“The mural will be a visual reminder of the collaboration with Laguna College of Art and Design, and an artwork that recognizes students in a variety of achievements. Hopefully, students will be empowered when they see it on the first day of school,” said Beaudry-Porter.

The mural emits a positive energy, inspiring each student as they walk by it every day. Beaudry-Porter and Hunnicutt indicate that the celebration of diversity in the work supports the “No Place for Hate” campaign that the school has embraced over the last two school years.

Additionally, the mural serves as a reminder to our Breaker community to continue to look to Laguna’s deep history in the arts as inspiration for the future.

“Our mascot used to be the Artists, so I think that the modernization of the school is beautiful, but we need to have more art showcased throughout our school. Because our community here at Laguna Beach is so artist-oriented, I think the mural is really something that makes that statement on campus, and I hope there are other places on campus that we can use to add works of art,” said Hunnicutt.