PHOTO COURTESY OF WE ARE LIMITLESS STUDIOS
The finished wall ball mural is pictured after students and teachers partnered on the project as part of Morgan’s Message.
By Tara Fischer
Staff Writer
A new art project at Stephen Decatur High School, in conjunction with a few community partners, aimed to promote mental health among student athletes.
Last week, members of We Are Limitless Studios, a Salisbury-based team dedicated to public art throughout Delmarva, began painting a mural at SDHS behind the school’s football stadium. The ball wall depicts a teal butterfly logo with a semicolon to represent suicide prevention, resilience, and hope. Surrounding the butterfly are images showcasing the plethora of athletic teams at SDHS.
The design was created by Decatur’s Morgan’s Message chapter, a nonprofit that works to destigmatize mental health challenges in the student athlete community. The group, with participating colleges and high school campuses throughout the nation, was kick-started in response to a university lacrosse player who died by suicide at 22 years old in 2019.
“The mural showcases the Morgan’s Message butterfly logo with the semicolon body, which was derived from Morgan’s artwork and inspired by her love of the color teal,” said Wendy Shirk, a school social worker at SDHS. “At her memorial, many people noticed they were surrounded by butterflies, which they believed was Morgan’s way of saying she’s always here, embracing others with love. To us, the semicolon means that when things feel hard, we should allow ourselves to pause and get the help we need to move forward, but never stop.”
We Are Limitless Studios created and outlined the design and assisted in the painting, which took place this week, with help from students and community members.
Shirk said that the mural will help normalize mental health resources and encourage students, student athletes, and staff to seek help if they need it. The art initiative will eliminate the stigma that often comes with asking for assistance, particularly regarding mental well-being, among young athletes and beyond.
“We believe that although Morgan’s Message has a foundation in athletics, all of our students, teachers, staff, and families can benefit from the overall message: we all struggle, help is available, and it’s okay to ask for help,” Shirk said.
The project was created after Decatur’s Morgan’s Message chapter received a grant from the Joshua M. Freeman Foundation in December for a community art initiative. Following the award, the decision was made to construct an athletic, concrete ball wall with a mural to normalize mental health conversations.
Shirk said that the initiative’s planning included researching and securing a construction company to build the concrete wall, which ended up being completed by Hayward Construction, and outreach work to garner donations and grants, totaling just over $20,000, for the mural.
Construction of the wall took place from May 1 to May 19. On June 2, the mural was primed and outlined, painted by students and community members on June 3, and finalized with a seal-coating was planned on June 4.
Students from the Morgan’s Message group did the artistic project with guidance from Shirk and teachers and coaches Lindsay Owens and Shannon Bone, who coach Unified sports in the fall and winter at Decatur as well as varsity women’s lacrosse in the spring.
The initiative leads are excited about what the wall will add to the Seahawk community.
“At its foundation, [the mural] serves as a practice tool for our various athletic teams and physical education students,” Shirk said. “But more importantly, it is a conversation piece for students and community members that will highlight the importance of having honest and safe conversations about mental health that include resources and support. The beauty of it is that it holds value to all students and extends beyond our school community. It also highlights the importance of the arts and community partnerships.”
Students’ work in Decatur’s Morgan’s Message chapter made the mural’s conception possible. According to Shirk, the nonprofit was founded to honor Morgan Rodgers, a Division I lacrosse player at Duke University who suffered a knee injury and subsequent mental health challenges. The young athlete died by suicide in 2019.
Morgan’s friends and family started the nonprofit to prop up her story and create a platform for those going through similar challenges to share their struggles.
“Morgan’s Message is clear: as an athlete, there is no shame in seeking physical healthcare — the same should be true for mental healthcare,” Shirk said. “To close the gap, we must eliminate the stigma surrounding mental health together.”
Decatur’s new butterfly mural aims to foster a safe space for each member of the Seahawk family to open up about their struggles by normalizing mental health conversations and promoting the available resources for those that need it.