2020 Waukesha North High School graduates continue mural tradition

WAUKESHA, Wis. - Waukesha North High School is celebrating its 50th anniversary. And for some alumni who returned on Friday, the celebration meant closure.

Since the early 1990s, Waukesha North seniors have marked the walls with murals to close out their final year of high school. The COVID-19 pandemic took that away from one class.

SIGN UP TODAY: Get daily headlines, breaking news emails from FOX6 News

"We didn’t really get our senior year like it should have been," said Stephanie Mueller, a 2020 graduate. "I was like, nobody’s going to remember 2020 – but we finally got one."

The pandemic meant the mural tradition skipped a senior class. That changed on Friday.

2020 Waukesha North High School graduates sign mural 

"I think it’s awesome. I think it turned out really great," said Skylar Melo, a 2020 graduate. "Class of 2020 was a hard year, but we have this awesome mural now, so that’s really cool."

Waukesha North Counselor Jill Werner contacted 2020 graduate Gisselle Dominguez to come back and finish the mural in August. 

FREE DOWNLOAD: Get breaking news alerts in the FOX6 News app for iOS or Android.

"It just seemed like the right time," Wemer said.

The murals is supposed to capture the 2020 class' four years at Waukesha North High School. 

"We have the outdoor graduation," Werner explained. "We have the whole Zoom and pandemic piece." 

2020 Waukesha North High School graduates sign mural 

Now, they're adding the final touches – their signatures.

"The nostalgia of being back and everything, the memories, it’s kind of cool. Especially now that we get to finally sign our names," said 2020 graduate Nick Lyons.

"It’s definitely good to just have a place, because all the years are important, and it’s good to be symbolized here," 2020 graduate Mackenzie Vanvorous said.