PHS senior leaves his mark by painting the halls

PITTSBURG, Kans. — As high school seniors prepare to take their next steps into the future — a group in Southeast Kansas is leaving a lasting impression, through bricks.

“I just have to trace it and free-hand, but yeah we’ll just see what happens. I’m just really leaving a mark of who I am for people and underclassman to see,” said Cameron Jefferson, PHS Senior.

While his journey in education is nearing its end, Senior Cameron Jefferson is leaving his mark on Pittsburg High School… Literally!

“The seniors, since 1996, have been able to personalize a brick here in our hallways. Over the last couple of decades it’s definitely upped on creativity,” said Samantha Warren, PHS Senior Class Sponsor.

The first few years bricks consisted of a name and a handprint, the tradition has grown to roughly 3,000.

“Now they’ve taken the oppurtunity to really personalize it to where it reflects their time here at PHS,” she added.

For Cameron, this tradition holds a lot of meaning. Right across the hall from his brick is his mother’s, who was one of the first classes to take part in the project.

“She was like, ‘Hey is the door unlocked?’ and I said ‘I’m not at home right now,’ ‘Where are you?’ and I’m like ‘I’m painting my brick right now,’ and she said ‘Hey I did that too! It’s like right there,” Cameron pointed out. “Every time she comes to this high school she’s always looking for the brick.”

And according to the school, those bricks will stay here for years to come.

“We are going to do everything we can. We still have some hallways that haven’t been gone down. The whole hallway in the other part of the building that hasn’t been used yet, so we at least have at least another decade in us before we have to start making some other decisions,” Warren said. “We provide the paint, we provide the time. I mean they just really have to come on in with a plan.”

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