{"id":10161,"date":"2021-07-07T11:32:13","date_gmt":"2021-07-07T15:32:13","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.vbcpsblogs.com\/core\/?p=10161"},"modified":"2021-10-12T09:16:53","modified_gmt":"2021-10-12T13:16:53","slug":"towering-achievement-ocean-lakes-high-student-promotes-earth-friendly-message-with-her-mural-design","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.vbcpsblogs.com\/core\/towering-achievement-ocean-lakes-high-student-promotes-earth-friendly-message-with-her-mural-design\/","title":{"rendered":"Towering achievement: Ocean Lakes High student promotes Earth-friendly message with her mural design"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Nikki Boardman has been drawing since she could pick up a pencil. But it wasn\u2019t until last year that she took her first art class. Doing graphic design on an iPad is also new to her.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s not surprising that she was hesitant to enter a contest where the winning artist\u2019s work would stretch across a wastewater process tank in Virginia Beach. But her Ocean Lakes High School art teacher Lindsay Roberts encouraged her to give it a try, and now Nicole\u2019s mural towers 20 feet over the ballfields near her school.<\/p>\n

\u201cI can\u2019t believe this is happening,\u201d the 15-year-old rising junior said during a recent visit to the tank. \u201cIt was six months ago that I came up with the design on my iPad. I didn\u2019t think it would win. And to see it now is amazing.\u201d<\/p>\n

This past winter, the Hampton Roads Sanitation District encouraged young artists from Virginia Beach City Public Schools to submit designs for a \u201cWater is Life\u201d mural. Atlantic Treatment Plant employees voted on their favorite design, which was then reviewed by the plant\u2019s beautification committee and the city\u2019s public art committee.<\/p>\n

In the mural, a sea turtle and dolphin swirl around a mermaid who is holding the planet Earth in her hand. Nikki said an environmental science class opened her eyes to humankind\u2019s influence and the importance of being good stewards.<\/p>\n

\u201cI thought about having an animal as the focal point. Buts it\u2019s humans who are in control, so that\u2019s why I have a mermaid holding the Earth,\u201d Nikki said. \u201cWe need to support clean water and life.\u201d<\/p>\n

Nikki\u2019s favorite color, sea foam, streams through the mermaid\u2019s hair.<\/p>\n

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The new \u201cWater is Life\u201d mural at the Atlantic Treatment Plant was designed by Nikki Boardman, a student at the Mathematics & Science Academy at Ocean Lakes High School who won a contest sponsored by the Hampton Roads Sanitation District.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cI was thinking about what happens when the sun shines through the water \u2013 it creates a kind of rainbow,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

The plant\u2019s superintendent, Todd McGovern, said Nikki\u2019s artwork aligns with the district\u2019s mission.<\/p>\n

\u201cEverything we strive to be is pictured in this mural,\u201d he said, pointing out several of the aquatic images. \u201cWe\u2019re environmental. We\u2019re here at the beach. And we\u2019re all about clean water.\u201d<\/p>\n

Nikki was always aware that the treatment plant was near her school, especially during outdoor marching band practices. But she never thought her artwork would be displayed there. On weekends during baseball season, hundreds of people pass by the facility, which is next to the ballfields at Ocean Lakes Park.<\/p>\n

Nikki enjoyed collaborating with a professional artist, Eric Lindbergh of T.A.L.E.N.T. Murals, which has created works at several Beach schools and buildings. The ViBE Creative District consulted with HRSD on the mural process and helped promote the contest. For safety reasons, Lindbergh painted Nikki\u2019s design on the tank, with the original artist adding some finishing touches.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s a very talented artist,\u201d Nikki said.<\/p>\n

Visual Arts Coordinator Chris Buhner said he\u2019s proud of Nikki.<\/p>\n

“Her artwork will serve an example of quality public art that has meaning and value for your community,” he said.<\/p>\n

Nikki hopes to pursue graphic design or computer animation in college.<\/p>\n

\u201cI take art seriously; it\u2019s the biggest thing in my life,\u201d she said. \u201cThat, and animals and the environment.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Eric Lindbergh of T.A.L.E.N.T. Murals helped Ocean Lakes rising junior Nikki Boardman with her mural at the Atlantic Treatment Plant.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\"""\"<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Nikki Boardman has been drawing since she could pick up a pencil. But it wasn\u2019t until last year that she took her first art class. Doing graphic design on an […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10,"featured_media":10163,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-10161","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vbcpsblogs.com\/core\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10161","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vbcpsblogs.com\/core\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vbcpsblogs.com\/core\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vbcpsblogs.com\/core\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/10"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vbcpsblogs.com\/core\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=10161"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.vbcpsblogs.com\/core\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10161\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":10167,"href":"https:\/\/www.vbcpsblogs.com\/core\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10161\/revisions\/10167"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vbcpsblogs.com\/core\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/10163"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vbcpsblogs.com\/core\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=10161"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vbcpsblogs.com\/core\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=10161"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vbcpsblogs.com\/core\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=10161"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}