Ancient Greece, Roman Empire, Black Death, Vishu, Song Dynasty, Golden Age of Discovery.These are just a few of the 18 distinct periodsthat students study in 9th grade Global History. All are represented inan 18- panel mural painted by sophomore Samantha Sanchez Gil in Nicole O’Sullivan’s classroom.
“I was inspired by Ms. O’Sullivan in 9th grade Global History. She is a great teacher who connects with students. Each of the panels represents a different period in history. I picked an image that I thought stands for each period. For example, for the Roman Empire, I painted blueprints of a Roman aqueduct.”
The project started as an idea in 9th grade Global History but came to fruition when Sanchez Gil had to come up with an AP World History project.
“The idea of the panels just came to me as I was sitting in class,” said Sanchez Gil.
With a rough sketch and written proposal, Sanchez Gil first obtained permission for the project. She developed a painting schedule and maintained communication with teachers, administrators and custodial staff throughout the process. In the end, she spent approximately 120 hours bringing her vision to life.
The time painting has paid off.
“I started with graphic sketches, then started to paint. One exciting part is the hidden clues or Easter Eggs for students to find–to make it interactive. In the panel of the Song Dynasty, I painted a clock that is an explosive because they invented gunpowder-and the clock reads 1:19 because–after doing a conversion to hours–that’s when the period ended.”
Nicole O’Sullivan is even using the mural in her history classes.
“As Samantha’s work has progressed over the past couple of months, the students in my class are able to reference the mural as we cover new topics and have even used it to review for their final,” said O’Sullivan, “Countless faculty, staff, and students pass by the classroom and are struck by the beauty and attention to detail of Samantha's work. Both the mural and Samantha are truly exceptional and her work will be enjoyed and admired for years to come.”
