School gets paint makeover

A new school year is always accompanied by a variety of changes. As for senior Kellie Chiou, this year was no different. Yet, as Chiou rushed to her classes on the first day, there was something outside the usual change of classes and teachers that she couldn’t put her finger on. It wasn’t until later that she noticed that the campus had received a makeover.

As part of a beautification process, which started the day after graduation, the school was repainted a light brown and gray.

Potential color schemes were selected last June when the school painted the walls outside the 200 wing to test different combinations. These colors make the school warmer, softer and friendlier, according to art teacher Stephen McCue.

“It evens out the transition between the bricks and the trees and the shrubbery,” McCue said. “I think it would look even better to have some walls painted a darker version of the current brown to give more interest and dimension to the school, but it is probably too expensive.”

The administration, along with several parent volunteers, decided on the earth color scheme to give the school a more natural complexion and a more modern look as compared to the previous scheme, which were based on school colors.

“The agreement among folks was that the old paint job was a bit tired and outdated,” assistant principal Kevin Mount said. “[The school] needed painting and not many people were too crazy about the old color scheme.”

However, many students have noticed that some of the hallways remained white and unpainted. Funds for this project came from the Saratoga Foundation, an organization that collects donations from parents, as well as the school’s saved maintenance money, totaling about $50,000.

Unfortunately, this amount of money was only enough to repaint half of the school, Mount said.
“We were hoping that we could finish sometime this year, but so far, we don’t have any exact dates,” Mount said.

According to several students interviewed, the new paint job has been received relatively well. The neutral color scheme makes the school look more earth friendly looking and easy on the eyes, said Chiou.

“I feel like the half-painted school is kind of weird, but the paint job is still a good idea. Before, the walls were white and covered with dirt and dust,” Chiou said. “These colors make [the school] look more natural, and it complements the green trees. Unlike the white and blue, which made our school look like a prison.”

The cursive word “Falcons” is also missing from the front of the school near the gym. The words were erased because the school ordered new lettering, which was originally scheduled to be installed before the start of the school year. The 24 inch, black, aluminum “Saratoga High School” sign should arrive by the end of September to finish this year’s makeover.

“I’m excited to see the school when it’s completely finished,” Chiou said. “I’m sure it’ll look amazing.”