SHSAA invites community to view new murals
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The mural, titled "History of Salem Schools," was painted on the back wall of the alumni association office at 330 E. State St. and was donated by the Salem High School Class of 1976 as part of its 50-year celebration.
The mural was painted by Anissa DiLeo, the owner of the Studio of Fine Arts by Anissa DiLeo at 145 S. Lundy Ave., and features all the district's school buildings past and present and their years of operation. Class of 1976 Planning Committee Co-Chairs Melissa Niederhiser and Audrey Null, who also serves as the executive director of the alumni association, said that in keeping with its theme of celebrating the history and legacy of the Salem City School District, the mural's design was inspired in part by a commemorative table runner that was produced by the Salem Historical Society in celebration of the district's 225th anniversary in 2003. They also said that the Class of 1976 raised more than $13,000 for the project and that any extra funds raised would be used to purchase furniture for a sitting area near the alumni art wall on the second floor of the alumni association office.
"The mural serves as a heartfelt tribute to the generations of students, educators and staff who have walked through those halls, capturing the essence of this community's rich history. I enjoyed every part of the project from conception and design to research and completion. My time at the SHSAA is now a fond memory, and it was an honor to add some color to that big white wall," DiLeo said. "I am immensely grateful for the opportunity to bring this vision to fruition, and I want to extend a special thank you to the Class of [1976] and Audrey Null of the Salem High School Alumni Association. Her unwavering support and dedication have been instrumental in making this special project a reality."
The alumni association is inviting the public to come and see the new mural during its upcoming open house from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., coinciding with Quakerfest. In addition to the mural's public debut, the open house will also feature light refreshments, and attendees will receive a raffle ticket for a Salem Quakers football donated by Haltec Corp. Null said that DiLeo would be expanding the mural with a scroll listing the names of all the donors and would return once again to update the mural with the district's newest building once its K-8 school building opens its doors for the 2027-2028 school year.
She also said that the wall the mural is painted on previously was home to paintings by alumni; however, they were relocated to the office's second floor as part of the alumni art wall, leaving the space empty until now.
Null explained that in addition to endowing scholarships, many alumni classes support the alumni association with a general donation to show appreciation for the reunion planning services provided by the association's office staff like "providing addresses, mailing labels and lists, copying privileges, a bulk-mail permit, and a comfortable, welcoming place to meet for meetings." She said that some classes also choose to purchase items or fund upgrades to the alumni association office, like the Class of 1958's donation of the tables and chairs in the alumni association board room or the class of 1971's donation of a showcase to display jewelry connected to the high school. However, the members of the class of 1976's Planning Commission were undecided on a project or donation to the alumni association for its 50th reunion. Niederhiser said that she and Null suggested that the class donate and raise funds to sponsor a mural as it would be timeless and could honor the entirety of the district's history.
"We decided that the mural would tie everyone together from the past schools to the current buildings and the school being built now and could bring all the alumni together. It's about more than just our class, it's for all of us together and all the future alumni," Niederhiser said.