The eyes follow the sea of orange. They watch the frying of bacon. They see students that are proud of their school pass through the hall.

The Eyes of Texas mural is the newest addition of campus beauty that was created in order to show support for the school.

“I think our students will embrace this mural and take pride in our school, and I am so excited every time I see it,” principal Brad Bailey said. “This is something they can be very proud of when they walk down the hallway every day.”

Roughly 1800 students attend the school and each one will have the opportunity to pass by the painted mascot.

“I think that it can support our school by reminding people of the unity and pride we have,” sophomore Addison Rogers said. “You can tell a ton of hard work was put into the mural, and I think that it will show when people see it.”

The mural was made possible by art teachers Tyson Feemster and Rebecca Hill who worked on the project throughout the summer. 

“It will give the students something to be proud of and promote school spirit for many years to come,” Feemster said. “The painting part was the most difficult for me. The texture of the wall made it extremely difficult to cover and get down into the mortar grooves.”

Although there were some challenges for the project, Feemster’s background and excitement helped him to continue with the mural.

“Since my major in college was Graphic Design, I didn’t have any problems laying it out and drawing it on the wall,” Feemster said. “What I enjoyed the most is first, the appreciation of Mr. Bailey for trusting in my abilities and giving me the opportunity to have something to do with it, and second, the feeling that goes along with knowing that something I was part of will have a positive influence for so many people at Texas High.”

Students also share in Feemster’s awe and excitement for the mural.

“The mural is beautiful,” senior Alanna Tran said. “I think having a permanent reminder of our Tiger Pride will be really great for school spirit.”

This new symbol of school spirit replaces the old lockers against the hall in the main hallway.

“I think our student body will really enjoy the new mural because it’s a huge step up from the old lockers,” Rogers said. “It’s really symbolic and assuring that everyone is Tiger Strong.”

This feeling of being Tiger Strong is also felt by Bailey who wanted a painting to bring the idea to life and had some help from the teachers in the art department.

“I always liked the Tiger Eyes on the back of the Little Theater before we had to renovate and expand our cafeteria, so I wanted to bring this mural back with a new flare that would catch everyone’s attention and, hopefully, generate some excitement in our school that will align with our theme, Tiger Strong,” Bailey said. “[Hill and Feemster] were both excited about this project and began making the vision a reality.”

This vision is what pushed Hill to persevere and finish the project in time for students to come to school.

“If I didn’t love what I do here at Texas High and if I didn’t love the staff and students, I never would have agreed to paint it,” Hill said. “I hope the students, staff, and community will get as much joy and sense of pride from the mural as I did while creating it.”

Junior Dalton Dickson also thinks the Eyes of Texas will create pride and improve the appeal of the campus.

“It gives more personality to the campus,” Dickson said. “I think that the new mural will improve upon our school population’s involvement and spirit in both sports and academics, just as our other traditions and monuments have done in the past.”

Bailey hopes the mural will serve as a symbol for students to not only believe in the school, but believe in themselves just like some of the many other traditions.

“I want [the students] to be proud of their school, and I believe their pride will definitely be seen more in the halls and in the classrooms of Texas High,” Bailey said. “The determination, motivation, positive energy, and commitment you see in the Tiger Eyes should make you feel the spirit of being a Tiger.”