BBS students paint Hoodoo mural

The Mountain Cubs' Den at the Hoodoo Ski and Ride School is getting a cheerful facelift, thanks to the collaborative efforts of Black Butte School (BBS) students and ski school staff.

The room, at the south end of the lodge, was formerly a large, white space. It's now a brightly painted candy mountain wonderland, with chocolate-covered hilltops pointing into a dreamy blue sky with a rainbow arching overhead. A chocolate waterfall cascades down one wall and lollypops, strawberries, popsicles and candy dance merrily around it. The school mascot, a big brown dog named Farley, is drawn on one wall, leaping after a blue toy.

The students at BBS are nearing 40 years of participation in the ski school and have been asking for quite some time to paint the area.

Last year they sent a thank-you letter to the ski school, accompanied by a plaster mountain covered with pipe-cleaner skiers and snowboarders. It's a popular addition to the Mountain Cubs' Den and proved the BBS students' creativity.

The ski school administrators agreed to the request. Tracylynn Hendrickson, the ski school director, and other staff put their heads together with Stephanie Blakelock, the health and physical education specialist at BBS, and came up with the candy mountain theme.

"We wanted to create a place for kiddos to feel warm and comforted and happy," said Blakelock.

The students submitted sketches, and Hendrickson worked with Sisters Ace Hardware staff to choose colors for the mural. The students then refined their sketches by adding color to them.

Blakelock began the process by herself, tackling the large background elements of the mural - the mountains, rainbow and sky. The next step involved adding the student sketches, which were transferred onto overhead transparencies. School storage cupboards were raided and when the students arrived on Friday, Blakelock was armed with every overhead projector in the Sisters School District.

She noted that special thanks should go to Marie Phillips, Sisters High School media manager, and Sisters Elementary School secretary Veronda McConville for braving all the dust and cobwebs to round up the old, but essential technology.

The sketches were projected onto the wall in varying sizes and the outlines traced. The students spent the next few hours carefully applying the color. They each signed their portion of the mural.

Included in the sketches are three buses, smiling faces pressed to the windows, making their way up the mountain. They represent BBS, Sisters School District and Sisters Park & Recreation District. Although the project is credited to BBS, the mural acknowledges the wide use of Hoodoo by local students.

Ski and Ride School staff will fill in background color. They're hopeful of completing it by the end of the season. Then, said Hendrickson, it will be easy to direct people to the Mountain Cubs' Den: "Just follow the rainbow."