A Thousand Words

By Christina Walker

If a picture is worth a thousand words, it would take volumes to impart the stories, the adventures, and the virtues illustrated throughout the lower school building: beautiful murals adorn each classroom, illustrating themes from their studies or scenes from classic literature and transporting students and teachers alike to other worlds. Such lovely additions are more than mere decoration. These paintings enrich the lives of our young scholars, surrounding them with images that remind them of what is good, true, and beautiful in the world and in their lives.

God the creator made us in his image with the desire and capacity to create, and the talented artists who have used their gifts to enhance The Geneva School with such beautiful paintings reflect his goodness, ingenuity, and creativity. Art transforms—drawing us in and inspiring our own imaginations, fanning the flames of the longing that we all feel for that “true country” as C. S. Lewis calls it. These murals encourage everyone who encounters them to seek out Narnia in their everyday lives, looking for “a most extraordinary excursion into magical lands and enchanted happenings.” What a legacy to leave for future generations at Geneva.

We are grateful to TGS alumnae Maddie Noll (‘16), Anna Classe (‘17), Charlie Classe (‘18), Raquel Smith (‘19), Lilly Wilhite (‘19), Abigail Clark (‘20), Macy Noll (‘21), and Anna Mages (‘22), Catherine Payne (TGS receptionist and after school art teacher last year), and long-time Geneva art teacher Shelly Bradon for their magnificent work that opens up our eyes, minds, and hearts to beauty and hope.

The header image is a mural of a cave on a science room wall.