Looking Up

The traditions behind decorated ceiling tiles

Maddy Mabray, Staff Report|June 3, 2021

AN UPWARD ART: In classrooms throughout the school, students leave their memories embedded in art on the ceiling. A dragon eye from Mrs. Shockley’s room.

It’s not uncommon to find students staring at the ceiling in class, but it isn’t because of boredom. All throughout the school, students can find their teacher’s ceiling tiles painted with bright colors and corny jokes. For Dr. Sonny Arnel, the tradition has become a unique way to embody the culture at FHC.

“It represents our students’ passion and our students’ talent. And that is school spirit. That’s who we are…We are just a brick and mortar building, [but] what makes us [a] neat school…is our kids and our faculty,” Arnel said.

Although each teacher may have their own personal requirements, the only restrictions Dr. Arnel has set is that it must have purpose, and you cannot leave a hole in the ceiling. To get a tile, you must ask maintenance for a spare tile to paint, which will then replace the ceiling tile in the classroom.

Mrs. Trisha Morrow, a math teacher, first started having her ceiling tiles painted two years ago, where she gave each hour a tile and any teacher assistant their own half-tile. To her, they represent the bond she creates with her class and students throughout the year.

“I like it from a teacher’s perspective because I can look back at them I can remember, like, ‘Oh my gosh, I remember that hour always said that phrase’ or whatever it is that they put on there, and I think it’s a good memory,” Morrow said.

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It represents our students’ passion and our students’ talent. And that is school spirit. That’s who we are…We are just a brick and mortar building, [but] what makes us [a] neat school…is our kids and our faculty

— Dr. Sonny Arnel

When Mrs. Jane Kelley’s AP world history students approached her five years ago about painting a ceiling tile, she was admittedly afraid to do it. After giving in, the tradition remains strong as each year her AP classes get to create their own design related to the curriculum.

“The ceiling tiles are really a celebration of the academic achievements of my students. I do it with the AP kids… they work so flipping hard throughout the year that I like to reward them with doing a ceiling tile and they always have a good time,” Kelley said.

Although not an annual event, Mrs. Cori Stallard, the theatre director, has allowed students in the past who approached her with specific designs to paint her ceiling tiles. They feature favorite actors and plays, and were the result of a student unexpectedly asking if they could paint them for her.

“I just felt honored…[and] like to look up and them [and] think of those students,” Stallard said.

Mrs. Dena Dauve, a math teacher, had her first ceiling tile painted in 2010. It started when a student left a math pun on her white board which students continued to add to. By the end of the semester, the entire board was filled and the class decided to transfer their jokes and drawings onto class t-shirts. From there, Mrs. Dauve has kept their memories alive by painting their jokes on the ceiling.

“It’s just like a history for me of all the kids that have been in my room…I can’t imagine just walking away from these,” Dauve said.

Senior Alli Rush is one of many students who has painted a ceiling tile. After an ongoing pun ‘math jail’ in Mrs. Dauve’s calculus class, she and her friend Robin Ziegemeier presented their idea, got a tile, and went to work.

“We drew up…a random drawing one day in math and we said ‘Mrs. Dauve, we want to paint this on the tile,’ and she was like ‘Cool, we’re getting it down,” Rush said.