Middle School Students Help Complete Largest Mural In Burbank Unified School District

BURBANK (CBSLA.com) — Students at a Burbank middle school Thursday were helping finish up the largest mural in the Burbank Unified School District.

The nearly 5,400-square foot mural of Yosemite National Park was being completed at John Muir Middle School's Osgood Pavilion.

With the help of the school's five art classes, artist Randall Williams helped to create the artwork on the sixth-grade lunch area's ceiling, wall and floor.

"The kids were really into painting," Williams said. "I gave them instruction and they went with it. We started with just a couple classes and then they all wanted to get involved. This mural can be used for learning — teachers can bring their students here to talk about Yosemite, John Muir, Ansel Adams, photography and all of the national parks. I'm hoping that it's a place where the students feel like they're in the park and can learn from the images."

Williams added, "If you're a photographer, you automatically know that Ansel Adams is the guy. He invented the Zone System, which is the basis for all black and white photography, so anyone who…is into photography at all will come here and go, 'Oh my gosh!'"

Logix Federal Credit Union and Burbank Arts for All each shared the cost of the $5,000 project, which will be unveiled Monday at 2:30 p.m.

"John Muir used to hang out at Yosemite a lot, so we made this mural because John Muir's birthday is very close, I think Monday, so that's gonna be the opening of the mural," sixth-grader Jessica Baltutis said.

Logix also commissioned a mural by Williams for the Providencia Elementary School's Multipurpose Room, which was completed in 2011.