There’s Good News: Culver High students bring back a beloved community landmark
CULVER, Ore. (KTVZ) — A group of Culver High School students spent the final month of the school year bringing new life to one of the community’s most familiar landmarks: the giant “C” on Juniper Butte.
What started as a class project turned into a monthlong restoration effort, with students hiking up the steep hillside after school to clear brush, cut back overgrowth, and repaint the landmark that overlooks the town of Culver.
Principal Scott Novelli said restoring the “C” had been a goal of his since he arrived at the school in 2022. He said the hillside letter has long been a symbol of school and community pride, and seeing it visible again means a lot to people in town.
A tradition returns
For years, Culver High students regularly maintained the “C,” but that tradition slowly faded. Over time, brush and small trees crept in and the landmark became harder to see.
That changed this spring, when students in Sports and Entertainment Marketing and Forensic Science classes began meeting at the base of Juniper Butte during seventh period. From there, they hiked roughly 200 yards up the steep hill and spent 30 minutes to an hour each day working on the project.
Katy Schonneker, secretary at Culver High School, said the last time she remembers students restoring the “C” was in 2016, when her daughter graduated. School officials later found that the landmark had last been fully restored nearly a decade ago by Betty Nitchelm and a group of Culver students.
Student-led effort
The restoration took teamwork and a fair amount of sweat. Students brought weed-eaters, garden tools, chainsaws and other equipment to cut through the overgrowth and prepare the site for a fresh coat of paint.
Junior Thayne Dickson said the group quickly had to figure out what the project would take. Eli Nielson said the first day was spent assessing the hill and making a plan before the real work began.
The effort was led by several juniors, including Dickson and Nielson, and supported by Culver High staff and administration. In just over a month, the work was done.
Community support
The project also got help from local businesses and community members.
GreyFab, a fabrication business in Madras, donated two backpack sprayers. Madras Paint and Glass donated five of the 20 gallons of paint needed. The remaining 15 gallons were funded through a GoFundMe campaign organized by the newly formed Culver Alumni Association, led by Chuck Gates.
More than paint
For the students involved, the project was about more than just repainting a hillside letter. Many balanced the work with baseball, track and field and other spring activities, yet still found time to keep showing up.
Now, the freshly painted “C” is once again visible from much of Culver, including the sports complex, and students hope the project helps restart a tradition for future classes.
Their goal is to make maintenance of the “C” an annual responsibility again, with each graduating senior class returning in the fall to clear brush and touch up the paint. For the students behind the project, the hope is simple: keep the landmark visible, and keep the pride alive.
