Senior captures teacher portraits

Posted on: May 12, 2020


In a display case near the high school commons reside four striking portraits of Delano High School teachers.


Biology instructor Carley Spiese smiles amid fluttering butterflies, chemistry teacher Mike Stoudt examines a beaker of liquid from behind lab goggles, social studies teacher Megan Halbleib stands again a backdrop of the Declaration of Independence, and band leader Jason Koets plays his signature tuba.


Remarkably life-like and engaging, the portraits came from the pen of DHS senior Trinity Reither, who said the idea came to her in January after a struggle to choose a project for her independent art study with Ray Cordes.


“I was sitting in my CIS Psych class and Mr. Brown said that in a few months I’d leave Delano High School and never come back,” said Reither. “That got me thinking, my teachers have shaped me to the person I am today and I wanted to give back in my own unique way. So I decided I’d spend my independent study drawing them.”
 

Reither began visiting her current and former teachers, explaining her project and asking if she could take a photo of them to base her portraits on.
 

“Honestly, it was whatever teacher had time for a picture that week, or who was available. If I went to a teacher’s room and they weren’t there, then I just went to the room next door,” said Reither. “The original pictures were nothing fancy, usually just taken from my phone. I always asked them if there was anything specific they wanted in their pictures.”
 

Reither’s tool of choice for the art work was a ball point pen, “those really cheap ones that you can get 30 for something like $3,” she said. Each portrait took between six and 10 hours to complete.
 

“I can’t say which one is the hardest one because each one had its own unique set of challenges that went with it, just like each teacher has their own way of teaching,” said Reither.
 

The subjects of her drawings were impressed with the final products.
 

“When I first saw the finished portrait it honestly brought tears to my eyes,” said Halbleib. “I took a picture of it right away so I could show it off to friends and family that don’t live in Delano. I love that she recreated the Declaration of Independence behind me. It’s such a cool visual effect!”
 

Koets said that because Reither had painted some music stands in the band room before her senior year he had already seen evidence of her artistic skills.
 

I knew what she was capable of, but these teacher portraits were really beyond my expectations,” he said. “My first reaction was, ‘Wow! Trinity is a really talented artist.’”
 

The four portraits on display do not represent Reither’s entire project. She had not yet turned in two additional teacher portraits when schools were physically closed due to COVID-19, and the plan had been to complete about six additional teacher portraits. As distance learning became a way of life for students, however, Reither decided to finish out her project with portraits of family and friends.

 

Natural hobby

Reither said that she has always enjoyed drawing, but hasn’t taken any art classes beyond those offered at school.


“A lot of people ask me why I like drawing. I usually just ask them if they like breathing,” she said. “There’s nothing specific that I like about it, I just do. It comes naturally to me, just like breathing. I don’t really need to think about it.”
 

Reither did gain some painting experience working at a local business called The Paint House for a few years before it closed, but has other interests she intends to pursue for a career.


“I don’t really plan on making a job out of drawing in the future,” she said. “I’d like to keep it mainly as a hobby. But I have gotten a lot of commissions in the past: people’s pets, portraits, murals, different things for teachers. I just do it as something on the side.”


In the fall Reither will attend the University of Mary in Bismarck, North Dakota, for psychology.


Trinity is a talented artist and a sweet person,” said Halbleib. “I can’t wait to see what she does after DHS!”
 

Post Categories: High School