The project, led by art teacher Betsy Baker, began at the start of the school year and was designed to showcase creativity and connection.

Each portrait was drawn on a paint chip square, forming a gradient of colors that shifts from reds and oranges at the top to blues and purples at the bottom.

From a distance, the mural resembles a tapestry of color; up close, each square reveals a hand-drawn portrait with personal details.

To prepare, Baker introduced students to famous self-portraits and taught basic drawing techniques.

Students selected a paint chip in a favorite color and learned about proportions, facial features and background elements. They outlined their portraits in ink and added symbolic details to reflect their goals for the year.

Staff members followed the same process so students could spot familiar faces in the mural.

After the portraits were complete, a Highland High School volunteer helped sort more than 900 paint chips by hue and brightness. The squares were mounted on butcher-paper panels and installed together.

A large gold frame, inspired by the frame on the door in the TV show “Friends,” surrounds the mural.

Students gathered around the finished piece, pointing out their portraits and seeing how their work fit into the larger design.

“The crowd around it lasted for days,” Baker said. “It was wonderful to see students engage with something they helped build.”

Baker said the project reflects the school’s commitment to creativity and belonging.

“Collaborative pieces like this remind students they are part of something bigger, and that their contribution matters,” she said.