Sneaking another can into the trophy case, senior Jack Welsh plans his next scheme. Sharpening pencils in class has turned into so much more.

“I had this big old’ empty family size Spaghettios can that I ripped the label off,” Welsh said, “One day in art I got bored so I drew this creepy kind of face on it, with its eyes wide open and it’s mouth smiling and all that stuff, and I put that on there.”

Welsh would keep his pencil shavings in random cans while sharpening pencils during his art class. He began doodling on these different cans, along with coffee cups, donut boxes, or anything else he could find.

“Every so often I would get a new can, or someone’s Starbucks cup, or whatever, and then put a new face on there,” Welsh said.

The opportunity then arose, one morning while sitting out in the rotunda with his friends, Welsh joked about stealing the trophies from the trophy cases. This led him to realize that none of the trophy cases were locked.

“So I just opened it [trophy case] up, put that [can with face] in there, and then closed it,” Welsh said. “And it kept on building, and it got to the point where almost the entire trophy case was filled.”

He was never caught, though many students observed him in the morning during his schemes.

“What’s illegal about that?” Welsh said. “It’s not vandalism. And if I did get caught and they apprehended me. It’s like, You didn’t lock the trophy cases and it’s not like I’m taking anything.”

According to Welsh, art has played a huge role in his life. It’s something he’s always known and makes it easier for him to express himself.

“It’s like I just get to put what’s in my brain, on to paper, the way I want it to be,” Welsh said. “Because a lot of times I can’t find words for that,”

He said that some teachers would see him doing this, but wouldn’t say anything. One of his teachers, Ashley Monson, knew full well about it.

“I found out about the display when he left some of his post-it art in my class,” Monson said. “I complimented him, and he told me about his ongoing, unsolicited art exhibition in the rotunda.”

Monsoon kept his secret somewhat private, barely mentioning it to a few colleagues. She very much loved this idea though.

“I don’t know that Jack ever needs support; he is a pretty confident kid, which I greatly admire,” Monson said. “He doesn’t try to fit in with the usual student persona.  He embraces his individuality, and I just tried to support that in him.”