After years of making sacrifices and only getting to experience the bare minimum, Mercy Mester is finally back! This year was a first for freshmen and sophomores, including myself. I truly had no idea what to expect walking into school that Wednesday, but let me just say, I was not disappointed. Usually, I prefer to keep myself clean and tidy, however, my first class required me to really get my hands dirty. GMAHS x HGTV taught us how to renovate a room on a budget while benefiting the school community at the same time.  

Teacher leaders Mrs. May and Mrs. Deegan did an excellent job running the class and were extremely patient as students made mistakes along the way. With their help, the Academic Success Center went through a Mercy Metamorphosis. The walls were given a fresh coat of paint aptly titled “Mother of Pearl.” The molding around the floor as well as the bulletin board and shelves were painted a bright fire-engine red. There were many more meticulous jobs that required multiple steps. Two notable tasks included painting the monarch butterfly and stenciling the school’s name. The former was assigned to a group of juniors. Using a projector, the girls carefully traced a butterfly onto the wall. Underneath the butterfly, the words “She is the Future” were written. After they were satisfied with the sketch, they began to paint. Once the butterfly was dry, the juniors used white paint to touch up the mistakes.  

The stenciling was done by a group of freshmen. Kiersten Dunlap, Alexis Roberts, Aurora Simmer, Meredith Williamson, and I tediously measured the space we had to work with and arranged the stencils so everything would be centered. This was difficult as we only had one of each letter. After taping up the letters and painting each one red, we peeled off the paper to reveal multiple smudges and uneven areas. Using the same method as the juniors, Keirsten and Lexi employed a steady hand to carefully touch up the letters. “I think it was hard at first, but after we had a plan and worked together it ended up going smoothly and it looked great in the end. It made me feel good that I did that accomplishment,” says Lexi Roberts.  

By the time all the paint was dry, there was little time to finish setting up the ASC. Using teamwork, we all pitched in to reposition and stage the room. This included moving furniture and placing knickknacks and accessories to give the room a scholarly feel. I can say that once the room was completed and we had the chance to step back and observe our work, everyone was impressed. A classroom renovation was completed in three days and completely done by high school girls. After reflecting upon those three days, I learned that at GMA, she REALLY is the future.