Is that a Van Gogh? Picasso? In math class? Science? Soon students will see more than the warm up on the board; they may also see a famous art adaptation on the classroom wall.

Whitman’s branch of the National Art Honor Society (NAHS) will be adding color to various classrooms throughout the school year. Under the guidance of art teacher, Jean Diamond, the NAHS will be painting various works based upon teacher requests, which will be hung in each teachers’ rooms.

While the students frequently create works that are displayed publicly, Diamond wanted to provide yet another outlet for her students, she said.

“The students are all so talented and deserve to show their art on larger scales,” Diamond said.

More than 30 students have joined the society to paint and present their work for more than 50 teachers’ classrooms. Junior Terry Zhou became president of Whitman’s NAHS after taking art for the past three years because it offers opportunities to paint outside of school, she said.

Co-president Josh Steighner has also been painting outside of school for NAHS, and assisting the organization with these recent classroom paintings.

“I’ve been pleasantly surprised by the response,” Steighner said. “The goal is to give life to some classrooms and just connect more to the Whitman community.”

In early October, a form was sent for “A Painting in Every Classroom.” The form included options for genre—ranging from seascapes to abstract to master’s work—and size. One teacher asked for a 16×16 feet Star Wars painting, and left comments glowing about the positive learning environment the art will create. Diamond said the society plans to paint subjects found in literature, science, music, language, history and any other categories teachers desire.

While the classroom paintings are the most recent assignment by NAHS, students have also worked on various projects for organizations around the area. In past years, they worked with Youth Art for Healing (YAFH), a non-profit organization that connects students artwork to specific facilities, including the Medstar Fisher Houses, locations where veterans’ families can stay while veterans are in the hospital.

“The paintings surround and encompass the houses where families stay,” Diamond said. “The art is everywhere.”

Later this year, the society plans to continue working with YAFH Medstar at their Georgetown University location and create 13 paintings of national parks.

In the meantime, Diamond said she is pleased with the outpouring of excitement from teachers about this recent NAHS project.

“It has been an incredible experience already,” Diamond said. “Teachers are coming out of the woodwork to offer ideas on subject matter of the art.”