TMP

From Senior Morgan Choitz:

I have always wanted to make a change here at Thomas More Prep-Marian. When I was a freshman, I wanted to be a leader in sports or in student council. However, I found out by trial and error that neither am I sporty, nor can I cause a wave of student leadership. So where is my place?

It was never “cool” to be the quirky, artsy kid. Someone would much rather be a sports star or get the pancake man to come to TMP. After three years of pushing it back, I finally accepted being artistically gifted. It makes me truly happy to create works of art for others to enjoy.

During the beginning of this school year, I had the idea of creating a mural for my school. I wanted to leave my own personal mark here at TMP. I was blessed to be granted permission to create a mural in the Student Center.

My original idea for the mural was pretty basic, I wanted to paint the new logo of the Monarch buffalo. That idea was OK, but it did not challenge me as much as I wanted it to.

After some sketching, I came up with the idea of a stained glass window for the mural. The three main symbols of the mural would be roses, a crown and the Monarch buffalo.

The roses symbolize Mary, the mother of God.  Mary is a symbol of what a true woman should be, full of grace and courage. The golden crown at the top symbolizes Jesus, the king of mankind.

Finally the Monarch buffalo symbolizes the students’ role in God’s plan. Here at TMP, we students are more connected to Christ than at any other school because of our immediate connection to religious education and the Marian chapel.

I would like to thank TMP-Marian for letting me create this mural. Painting it has let me express myself in a way I have not been allowed to before.

I would also like to thank my family members that have supported me along the way. The generous acts of buying me art supplies or allowing me to paint small paintings for their homes, gave me the courage and self-confidence to push myself to paint a massive public mural.

And finally I need to thank my parents. Without them pushing my ability at a young age, I would not know my talent. They constantly ask, “How did we get so blessed with such great kids?” I ask the same thing about  them.

Usually a parent would be horrified when their child comes home and says they want to be an art major in college, but my incredible parents are ecstatic for my future in the arts. So thank you to all who have supported me!