WHS, WNHS graphics art students wrap semester with van designs

Two recently purchased high school activity vans provided blank canvases for student artists whose work will soon be rolling into various events.

Julie Dillon, chief financial officer for District 200, said the district bought the 12- to 15-passenger vans for instances when coaches or teachers need to transport a small group of students not large enough to warrant an entire bus

Dillon was in contact with Fastsigns, a signs and banners company in Elk Grove Village, about concepts to decorate the vans. She then reached out to Sandra Brainard and Bill Weber, the graphics arts teachers at Woodstock and Woodstock North high schools, respectively, to see whether students might be interested in developing designs.

Weber and Brainard shifted some of their planned classwork and turned the effort into a valuable class project for their students. Students submitted several quality designs. The final selections were made by the teachers and District 200 staff.

The teachers worked closely with Mike Kroyer, a project manager from Fastsigns, to submit the appropriate file formats to create nylon wraps for the vans based on the student designs.

Kroyer and his team arrived to install the wraps on Feb. 29 at the District 200 transportation center. Brainard and Weber brought the winning design students, WHS senior Zoe Zmarzlinksi and WNHS senior Bella Bracken, in to observe the process.

 “I was overwhelmed by how pretty it looks. It looks really nice,” Bracken said. “Seeing it on the van versus just digital — it looks so much better.”

Bracken said she plans more study in graphic design after graduation at McHenry County Community College.

Zmarzlinski was also excited to see her Blue Streaks design at full scale. “I honestly didn’t expect it to look this good. I like it,” she said.

Kroyer, who is also a designer, said he enjoyed having the chance to interact with the student designers and said he hopes they learned something from the process.

“I am glad that the students were able to experience this and see their designs go from computer screen to reality,” he said.

Brainard said designing the wraps was an excellent learning opportunity for all of  the students who participated. “This is something they’ll remember forever,” she said.