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Blaze Trails: Schuchart Gym Receives Upgrade With New “Wall of Champions”
The culmination of a nearly yearlong project was reached in August 2023 with the installation of a brand new “Wall of Champions” in The Bush School’s Schuchart Gym. A marked departure from the collection of cloth championship banners that preceded it, the new wall presents a dynamic visual of the history of Bush athletics excellence that will bring a fresh, elevated look to the space.
“We wanted to have a high-quality installation that we could showcase with the Centennial events happening [during the 2023–2024 school year],” said Bush’s Associate Athletic Director Mel Harrow. “We’re thrilled to be able to share this with our larger community.”
A few years ago, the athletic department had a couple of championship banners to add on the back of a successful sports season the previous year. While a good problem to have, the athletic department started to think about how they could reinvent the old banners into something cool and new, while still paying homage to the history of the school. The first step was extensive research to make sure they captured every league, district, and state championship as far back as they could. This included reaching out to Bush alumni—some of whom were excited to reshare their sports experiences at Bush.
“It was fun to connect with them in that way,” Mel said.
They ended up capturing championships as far back as 1979.
After gathering all the information, the athletic department worked with graphic designer Char Davidson to develop a consistent template to showcase all the past winners. They settled on a color-coded system where league winners are in white, district champions are in light blue, and state champions are in gold. Instead of banners, the championships were printed directly on an aluminum composite material that is highly durable and makes all the colors stand out.
“We’re proud to have something unique that separates our gym apart from other spaces, and we’re so excited to have the students see it when they return,” Mel said.
In keeping with Bush values, the wall includes all Bush sports, with spots open to commemorate future athletic glory. The athletic department looks forward to adding more names to the new wall in the years to come.
The Bush School is an independent, coeducational day school located in Seattle, WA enrolling 735 students in grades K–12. The mission of The Bush School is to spark in students of diverse backgrounds and talents a passion for learning, accomplishment, and contribution to their communities.
3400 East Harrison Street, Seattle WA 98112 (206) 322-7978
The Bush School does not discriminate in matters of employment, recruitment, admissions, or administration of any of its programs on the basis of race, color, creed, religion, national or ethnic origin, disability, gender, or sexual orientation. In addition, The Bush School does not discriminate in matters of employment on the basis of age or marital status.