<bt>Eleven students at Lake Braddock Secondary School painted a wall mural in the guidance office at Lake Braddock as a summer vacation project. Led by Danila Podobed and Michael Maisel, the students wanted to do something for the school and use their creativity for something beneficial and aesthetically pleasing. The effort started at the beginning of the last school year when Danila and Michael had an idea to paint a mural depicting a typical school scene at Lake Braddock.
"We wanted to leave our mark on the school, but it was a long road getting there," said Michael. Although he and Danila came up with several designs and a plan for what they wanted to do early in the school year, the project wasn't approved until the end of the school year.
The scene agreed upon depicts a storage room filled with equipment from all the different activities Lake Braddock offers, such as books, computers, musical instruments, sport equipment, awards and trophies, superimposed with the word "Welcome."
Working with Danila and Michael on the painting project were Semyon Podobed, Alex Cross, Seth Cross, Michael Haase, John Will, Craig Luxenbourg, Chris Deiter, James Loyzou and Farhan Ahmad. Lake Braddock teacher Christine McGann served as the project's sponsor.
The painters dedicated the mural to the memory of Ashley Thompson, a Lake Braddock student who died in an automobile accident last spring.