Painting the past and peeling the layers: a look at Chantilly’s shed

As Chantilly grew and evolved as a school, the shed, which holds layer upon layer of history at Chantilly, did too. Since Chantilly’s opening in 1973, the shed has been a place for students to express themselves.

“Over the years it has been used for celebrating victories for sports, to remember students that have had misfortunes occur,” Spanish teacher Debbie Royals said.

While students may have been painting the shed throughout Chantilly’s existence, they once needed permission from a telecommunications company, to which the shed belonged.

“The school really doesn’t own that and the property that it’s on, and all the shed, belongs to the phone company,” Royals said.

Today, the shed is no longer in use by the phone company. The hole in the back exposes the shed’s true insides; mostly empty cans, dusty paint rollers, and other neglected and unused art supplies.

Many sports teams and clubs choose to paint the shed to show support for upcoming activities or competitions.

“We painted it because we won the gymnastics districts and regionals and got third place at states,” junior Trisha Spears said.

Teachers who attended Chantilly as students remember ways of showing school spirit.

Before the shed was painted by students, they found an alternative source for expression. Drama teacher Ed Monk remembers when the Chantilly area was less residential. Poplar Tree road had two lanes and there was a bump in the road which was painted by students. Presently, painting the shed is a must during one’s high school career; it’s a part of the high school experience.

“I don’t remember it being as big a deal as it is today,” English teacher Michael Murphy, from the graduating class of 1988, said. “Every once in a while something would happen and someone would spray paint their name on it or do something like that, but not to the extent that people do it now.”

The shed also serves to create a sense of school spirit for those currently attending Chantilly as well as those who will attend in the future.

“When I was younger I always noticed that it was painted differently every once in a while and I thought it was really cool,” junior Nina Ullom said. “It was always fun to drive past to see, like, a different message on it.” Those who paint the shed make sure to cover the entire structure, leaving no spot untouched.

“I think in the past you could still see the white background,” Royals said. “Every so often the would paint over the whole thing and start fresh, and I don’t think the whole thing was covered as much as what we see now; it still had some background. But I think it is painted more often more frequently now.”

Alumni of Chantilly recall the ordinary structure as something more meaningful than it may seem. It’s iconic presence has been part of Chantilly’s identity since the earliest days, when the school first opened. Carrie Rene Grandinetti, from the class of 1993, calls the shed “a Chantilly landmark.”

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Originally published Nov. 20, 2009

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Written by Chloe Cunningham, Miranda Leung, Caroline Bailey

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