COMMERCE CITY, Colo. — Students at Adams City High School in Commerce City are left with questions after a new paint job on campus erased part of a mural left by a graduating class that was meant to inspire.
For years, students have left a mural as a class gift. Student Body President Angela Herrera said this tradition had faded for a while until the class of 2017 brought it back.
Herrera says that class wanted to show other students they could be successful too with full ride scholarships to the schools of their dreams. She took that message to heart, which is why when she saw that the school had painted over the mural, she was angry about it.
“It was a slap in the face to all the work that the class of 2017 had done,” she said.
The worst part for Herrera was that she said she had no idea this was happening until it was too late.
9NEWS spoke to Adams City High School Principal Gabriella Maldonado on Friday, who admitted to the school's mistake.
“It was our error,” Maldonado said.
The school is in the process of updating their building to newer photos and signs. This particular mural sits over a room that was the Future Center and is now the Community Room.
Maldonado said the school was updating the sign and painting over the mural was a work order that went wrong, but Herrera questioned how the school painted over two parts of the mural that weren’t even close to the sign.
“If the letters are in the middle, you don’t take off what’s on the sides?” Herrera asked.
9NEWS asked Maldonado that very question, to which she retorted, “Again, that was an error and that is something we are in the process of correcting.”
The school plans to repaint it to its original form. When asked how much that will cost, Maldonado said that wasn’t the point.
In a school where even Maldonado says funds are short already, Herrera said it's not fair to use the money for mistakes like these.
“It won’t have the same meaning," Herrera said. "It won’t have the meaning of hope and the meaning of inspiration and motivation for us anymore because it’ll just be a reminder that they removed it, everyone got mad so now they just have to paint it again.”
Artist Jay Jaramillo plans to meet the school on Thursday to talk about repainting the mural. He tells 9NEWS he would charge $1,000 for that work.
Maldonado couldn’t tell 9NEWS when it’ll all be done, she said as soon as possible.
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