The halls at Alexander Hamilton High School look a lot more colorful thanks to a student mural unveiled the morning on June 9.
The mural celebrates the diversity of the South Side, while educating about Milwaukee’s water ecosystem.
Painted in the basement of the school, at 6215 W. Warnimont Ave., the mural features vehicles waving flags from different countries, businesses, local water species, landmarks like the Allen-Bradley Clock Tower and more.
Paing Hein, a student at Alexander Hamilton who worked on the project, said he wanted to highlight how Milwaukee pollution has affected the surrounding ecosystem.
“We want to incorporate a culture and science aspect to it, because I believe that science and community are so interconnected,” he said.
John Fleissner, the art teacher at Hamilton High School, led the project. He said he wants to secure additional funds to expand and add a pollinator-themed mural.
A diverse South Side
Miley Cowgill, a student in Fleissner’s class, part of the mural reflects the cultural diversity of the South Side.
“You can see different cars start to parade like this at the Puerto Rican parade day or on Mexican Independence Day,” Cowgill said.
The mural also features ethnic and other businesses like restaurants and delis.
“The different buildings that represent the heritage and culture of South Side immigrant groups,” Cowgill said.
It’s raining in the mural, which shows how water picks up trash, which flows into the drain and into the Kinnickinnic River.
“This shows why we need to take care of our environment,” she said.
Past decisions led to today’s problems
Hein said the students painted a concrete culvert to show how Milwaukee officials “channelized” areas of the Kinnickinnic River in the early 1960s, lining the river with concrete in an attempt to move water through river systems as fast as possible and prevent flooding.
“Eventually we learned the hard way that it didn’t work,” Hein said. “As soon as the rain hits, the water flows quickly and that increases the flood.”
Under the culvert, students painted aquatic macroinvertebrates that you may find near the river.
Rivers connect
A third section of the mural shows how Honey Creek flows into the Menomonee River and the Kinnickinnic River flows into Lake Michigan.
“When this happens, the convert fills up like bathtubs, causing the neighborhood to flood,” Cowgill said. “That’s why the houses at the bottom are all flooded.”
Hein said the environment is often thought of as separate from people. He wants the mural to show that people are connected to their environment.
“One unique thing about our school is we are surrounded by the Menomonee River and Kinnickinnic River,” Hein said. “We want to highlight how the school is surrounded by nature even though it’s based in an urban area.”
Alex Klaus is the education solutions reporter for the Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service and a corps member of Report for America, a national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on under-covered issues and communities. Report for America plays no role in editorial decisions in the NNS newsroom.
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