Students returning for the 2014-15 school year at Holyoke High noticed a new addition to the third floor hallway leading to the gym; a mural honoring the Holyoke High School students who have passed.

Sports Management II, a class created and taught by Mrs. Jill Reardon, has hosted many charity events throughout the school year last year. Their most notable events were the Hoops for Hope event to raise money for heart disease. However, in the Spring semester of last year, they hosted another big event, the “Dodge for Fallen Knights.”

It was a dodge ball tournament for students that was meant to raise money to create a mural to honor deceased students. The event raised over $1000, and they hired local artist Bruce Socha, owner of Socha Signs in Chicopee, to paint the mural in the school.

The idea for the mural came from the whole class. Many people in the class knew someone in the school who had passed, and they felt this was a good way to honor their memories and bring attention to their losses.

This class, which was created by Mrs. Reardon, is meant as a way for students to apply the concepts they’ve learned in Sports Management I such as, “decision making, marketing, sport law, finance and sponsorships” in a real world environment. “It’s one of the only classes where students can apply what they’ve learned. It’s not hypothetical,” states Mrs. Reardon, who has also said that she was very proud of the class and all that they’d accomplished.

The mural is embossed with a poem written by a member of the Sports Management class and can be seen on the left side of the gym, near the entrance to the girl’s locker room. Next time you’re on the third floor be sure to check it out!