Senior tile painting is something most seniors look forward to because it allows them to leave a little piece of themselves behind before they go off to college. Senior tile painting is beginning to be a tradition here at Riverbend, where seniors have the opportunity to leave their mark behind, even when they are no longer here.  The idea to start ceiling tile painting started last year.  Seniors who were unable to participate in the parking spot painting still wanted a way to leave their mark at the “bend”.

Mrs. Shipp, sponsor/supervisor for tile painting and teacher at Riverbend, said “we [the teachers] want to encourage students to leave something behind, be that a legacy gift, a stellar performance in band or a play, or a personalized design in the hallway that will live on long past graduation.” This is only the second year of tile painting and the students who are interested and have submitted designs, have almost tripled going from six to twenty.

The seniors will use washable paint (so that it doesn’t stain anything) and paintbrushes in order to make these tiles amazing.  Students had three opportunities to stay after school to paint their tiles.  Some students will most likely need to come to more than one date if their designs are really elaborate.  Mrs. Shipp also said, “Given the positive response so far, we will likely offer additional opportunities in early 2015.” Senior ceiling tile painting is a great way to leave a mark on Riverbend for future students to see and be inspired by.