Vibrant sunset colors and wildlife fill the high school campus’ new mural, designed to reflect the inspiration behind it: Sacramento Country Day alumnus Diane Mark Frost, ’76.

Country Day high school students were commissioned by alumni to create a mural in memory of Frost, who passed away from cancer in March 2023. 

Frost attended Country Day from fifth through 12th grade, graduating in 1976. She attended the University of North Carolina School of the Arts to study ballet. Frost later went on to receive a degree in information technology. 

The mural was requested by former Country Day alumni, who wanted to pay tribute to their friend in a lasting way.

An unveiling of the new mural took place on Aug. 2. 

Amy Wells, ’98, Associate Director of Advancement for Country Day, said Frost’s friends who were Country Day alumni reached out to request a mural memorializing Frost, who was known for her love of California and Arizona landscapes, Wells said in an email. 

“These friends are spread out across the country, and their time here on our campus is what still ties them together. So doing something with Country Day was a way to celebrate that connection,” Wells wrote.

Frost danced in numerous Nutcracker performances, including one with the Sacramento Ballet. 

“The mural, depicting Frost dancing, speaks to her identity as a ballerina — an art and discipline that inspired her throughout her life. As a lifelong athlete, Diane exuded strength, determination, resilience and tenacity,” wrote Wells. 

Seniors Mia Crowder and Kaitlyn Dias, AP Art students, drafted a proposal for the mural and presented it to Head of School Lee Thomsen. In this proposal, they created a budget and showed the mural design. 

After a proposal for the mural was accepted by Thomsen, Crowder and Dias teamed up with art students Sylvia Valverde, ’24, Juliette Zuniga, ’24 and Claire Gemmell ‘26 to get to work. 

Gemmell created the design for the mural. 

“I had a few drafts of what I wanted it to look like, and I landed on one. I took a picture of those sketches and put them into Procreate,” Gemmell said. 

Procreate, an editing app, allowed Gemmell to overlay images and parts of her sketches. 

The projector then cast her digital design onto the wall at night so the artists could sketch it. 

The sketch depicted Frost dancing across the Arizona landscape with flowers and butterflies surrounding her. 

Starting the last couple weeks of school and continuing to the beginning of early August, the group would paint. 

It was a bonding experience for the artists. 

“The mural fostered conversations and connections that I wouldn’t have been able to have without it. It brought us together,” Gemmell said. “I made long-lasting friendships.”

According to Crowder, everyone intuitively knew their roles, and through the process, they not only collaborated but also bonded with one another.

“​​I think it was incredible that our team of multiple artists with different art mediums could paint one big picture together,” Crowder said. 

The process of making the mural was tedious yet rewarding for the artists. At times they would be stressed about the proportions of different areas of the mural, but in the end it all turned out beautifully. They would keep each other focused while still having fun, Gemmell said.

“I feel proud, and I think it really adds a new space on campus because it is so bright and colorful,” Gemmell said. 

When the painting was finished, an unveiling ceremony was held, where various Country Day faculty members, students and alumni came to look at the mural. 

Junior Morgan Hansen describes the unveiling ceremony as dramatic and emotional.

“We had these boards from the art room where we made a walkway, so you couldn’t see the mural immediately when you walked in. So it was like a surprise,” Hansen said. “Mia gave a speech, and  the alumni who commissioned the mural were almost in tears.” 

Many plans for the area around the mural are still yet to come.

The Environmentalist Club plans to plant hot pink flowers that bloom often.

The artist’s plan is to expand the area around the mural by including a collaborative seating area with tables for eating and studying together, landscaping with hydrangeas and other greenery, and ceramic butterflies like those in the mural, but continuing along the fence for a visual effect.

The lower school students will be asked to glaze the ceramic butterflies, adding to the sense of community imbuing the mural area. It was an honor for the artists to be able to create art in such a meaningful and lasting way on Country Day’s campus, said Gemmell 

“The school and the community is important to me and it was really nice just to know that I have made my mark and hopefully helped to create a more inclusive socialization space too,” Crowder said. 

— Ava Levermore