Last school year, a stone engraving depicting our namesake, Martin Luther King Jr., was completed on the D.B. Todd side of the school building.

“The initial engraving started last spring and was finished last spring,” said Dr. McShepard-Ray. “But there were adjustments needed to be made in the middle section of the limestone.”

Both the initial and final engravings were designed by Bauer Askew Architecture; the architect J.C Elder was in charge of this project. This architectural firm was hired by MNPS to help improve the decorative aspects of our school building, especially as the Annex was untouched. In an artwork contest for the engraving, Maya Igarashi submitted the winning design that evolved into the final artwork.

“The architects wanted to do something with the Annex to make sure it had something that could tie in, but also bring people’s attention to it, and part of that was the stone carving,” said Dr. McShepard-Ray.

The Annex is a fairly new addition to the older section of our school nicknamed “The 1936 Building.” Architectural designs around the original building may have gone unnoticed since they are inadvertently disguised.

“If you go out these doors where the stairwells can empty, there are two students facing each other in desks. If you look at the auditorium, on the sides, there are eagles,” said Dr. McShepard-Ray.

The incorporation of art at the front and sides of the school brings life the historical and innovative sides of MLK. The potential lasting impact of the Art Deco additions and the MLK engraving will be significant in future years.

“Once it’s done, and when the scaffolding comes down, hopefully it will be a landmark, not only for our students when they come back and think about MLK and their experiences here, but for the community,” said Dr. McShepard-Ray.

The engraving is scheduled to be done by the end of the school year, May 2020.