Talon Ridge MS mural placed in permanent home

A community-driven mural project that got underway more than 18 months ago has come full circle with the mural’s installation inside Talon Ridge Middle School, the district’s newest middle school under construction in Thornton. 

This journey began in September 2024, when the district commissioned Riverdale Ridge High School art teacher Nate Shaver and students to design a 4-foot x 16-foot mural representative of the surrounding area that would then be painted by the community at the groundbreaking for Talon Ridge Middle School on Nov. 2, 2024. 

Shaver said the mural, titled “Looking Forward,” symbolizes the growth and changes in this region over time. Once he had the sketch down, his students chose the color scheme and filled in all the spaces on the mural panels with numbers that corresponded with the correct paint colors, like a massive paint-by-number project.

“We worked for a long time on it, we had a lot of kids helping us out and I’m excited to see it installed,” Shaver said as he arrived outside Talon Ridge to view the mural in its permanent home for the first time. 

After seeing it, Shaver gave credit to the students he tasked with choosing colors.

“The colors look great,” he said. “We had a lot of help with kids on the colors and I kind of trusted them with it and seeing it in person, it works. They did a great job. Impressive!” 

When it comes to the future Talon Ridge students who will see the mural at school everyday, Shaver hopes it makes them proud. 

“The concept was kind of like the history of the community so I’m hoping it gives them a sense of pride about the direction we’re headed,” he said.

Talon Ridge Middle School is scheduled to open in fall 2027. A permanent plaque will also be installed with the mural honoring the work of Shaver, students and the community to bring the mural to life.