Northern's Locker Murals Are a Visual Extravaganza Part I

In Fall 2019, just before joining the NSS Foundation, I returned to the school for the first time since the 90s. 

Entering through the South Doors, Northern's castle-esque gothic architecture, and stairwells seem absolutely timeless, a rock of a memory. But, within seconds of meandering the halls, you can't miss it: huge swathes of lockers have become canvases for students to depict not just science, history and literature, but big ideas about wellness, inclusivity and showing up for each other in a positive way. It's amazing to see. 

In the early 90s, my cohort was tending to affirmative action in the work place; school life included United Way Week and a new sex ed curriculum; and the TDSB organized gender issues conferences. But the way students today are openly talking about these issues and taking action in the form of clubs and student advocacy is clear to see. 

I continue towards the auditorium. A mural dedicated to the great phys ed teacher Clarke Pulford. The United Way gets it own mural. Soon I arrive at the North end of the front hall, and I head up the NW corner stairwell to the 3rd floor. I take it two steps at a time. There's something satisfying about scaling both flights. The stairs are wide and bathed in light from the huge encasement windows.

At the top I push through the glass doors and behold ... the domain of English. The murals here reflect a love of books, storytelling and philosophy.

One mural features Le Petit Prince, what some consider the greatest short story in the existentialist canon. Published during the Second World War, the author Antoine de Saint-Exupéry imagines his meeting with a child, Le Petit Prince, who tells him his story and why he has come to Earth. The mural (just above) depicts the book's famous excerpt "On ne voit bien qu’avec le coeur. L’essentiel est invisible pour les yeux." Left in its original french is a lovely nod to Canada being a bilingual country. Translated to English: "One can only see well with the heart. What is essential is invisible to the eye." 

While there are entire university courses dedicated to unpacking the meaning of this book, this excerpt is worth a brisk explanation. Le Petit Prince is having a dialogue with a wise fox. The fox is explaining that it is only when we are "tamed" by the bonds of friendship that we radically change our perception of others and the world, bringing us into a new reality. In a simple sense: without friends, we are bored; with friends, happiness appears. But the fox's vision of the heart runs deeper, for the heart is our meaning-maker, and it corresponds to the realization that we depend on everything that populates the universe to arrive at meaning. In different words: the things we touch and use and see become valuable when we touch and use and see them. What lies unanswered is how each of us will interpret the vast notion that everything is united, everything is linked.

What a thing to put in front of young people. 

Here's a philosophical refresher on Le Petit Prince if you want more.

Ok ... where are we ... ahhh yes: the 3rd floor, heading south through the Art corridor. The art-forward murals here are some of the most arresting in the school. 

As I approach the SW corner of the 3rd floor, directly above The South Doors, it's clear I am entering the domain of Science. 

I remember friends who took biology. They raved about it, but biology's tower of memorization freaked me out. Instead, I was a physics and chemistry kid. Ahhhh, the unimaginable vastness of the cosmos, the forces that bind an atomic nucleus together, the decay of radioactive isotopes – that was the cool stuff I thought.

Fast forward 25 years though, and I'm suddenly hooked on cellular biology thanks to the Coronavirus. No doubt you know about Covid's spike protein that Moderna and Pfizer's mRNA vaccines teach our body to identify. But did you know that each unit of Covid is an ecosystem of 29 proteins that work together like a team, with each protein having its own job?! Mindblowing stuff.

Ok. Queue science mural:

I'm now heading towards the SE corner stairwell which will take me down a flight to the Drama department. I wasn't a drama student but I remember those dark rooms where kids stretched their boundaries, stepping into great characters, learning to trust their fellow actors. If you've ever been to Stratford, or a Canadian Stage production, or Broadway in NYC, this humble section of Northern's 2nd-floor-back-hall feels especially wonderful. The mural below is entitled Theatre History: