One of the powers of art is that it can inspire others to produce more art.

That is the case of the new mural painted near the front of the school of Dr. Charles Akins, the school’s namesake who passed away last year. The mural was a refreshing site for many students as it took the place of one of many unused rows lockers.

There are hundreds of lockers lining the hallways around campus that are never used. In recent years, many students have begun to wonder what that space could be used for if the lockers appear to be doomed.

The unused lockers make the halls look barren. Taking down the lockers would be the best for the space that is unused. If we took them down, we can put up public art for years to come. The halls could be decorated with art to show school spirit.

The new mural of Dr. Akins is thanks to a donation by the Class of 2017. These students donated left over money from their fundraisers for prom last year.

The campus can appear more supportive by showing positive images for students. The mural of Dr. Akins was a positive message by telling us that he will always be here no matter what. The mural of Dr. Akins was painted by math teacher Elise Briseno. She came up to school every day during the winter break to work on it.

Briseno said she enjoyed working on the project.

“I took two weeks of my time just to come up here and listen to my music and paint. That was great, it was the best vacation I could have.”

Principal Brandi Hosack said that she too would like to see the lockers replaced with something else.

“I wish that if it was easy to say that I want all these lockers,” she said. “Piece by piece we might be able to. It’s such wasted space.”

Based on the results of an online survey, 87 percent of respondents said they would like to see art on the walls in place of the lockers. Some examples of what students would like to see added include large murals, large campus mascot portraits and sculptures.