Two Glen Cove High School sophomores have completed a 12-foot-high, 80-foot-wide mural along Mill Hill Road after being recruited by their hometown beautification commission following a local art competition.
Giorgina Dondero, 14, and Nahla Loret Gomez, 15, collaborated on the roadside work, which the town says was intended to brighten a stretch of the North Shore and celebrate local nature. The finished piece shows scenes of Glen Cove across all four seasons and incorporates elements from both students’ contest entries.
The two friends entered a school art contest at the end of the last school year. Nahla’s monarch-butterfly illustration, shown over a potted plant, won first place and was printed on town t-shirts as part of a local campaign. Giorgina’s runner-up piece depicted a tree-lined road inspired by nearby Morgan Park, where she has taken part in beach cleanups. Town officials asked the pair to adapt Giorgina’s design for the long roadside canvas and to include references to Nahla’s butterfly motif.
Both students said the commission was a new scale of work for them. "This was the biggest canvas we ever had," Giorgina told The Post. She said the mural aimed to show "just something absolutely beautiful — and how nature can affect us all in a similar emotional response." Nahla told The Post the opportunity helped her come out of her shell; she described herself as previously shy and said she now hopes to pursue more public art opportunities.
The painting was completed in three days during a late-August heatwave, with temperatures reported near 100 degrees. Town officials had budgeted a week for the project, but a combination of the students’ work, volunteer help from neighbors and guidance from a local muralist shortened the timeline. Lora Cusumano, chair of the beautification commission, said she and other residents pitched in, and that people living nearby were "so thrilled to see it being done."
Community members donated supplies, volunteered paint time and brought snacks. The local muralist who volunteered also provided lessons on handling a large-scale work, the students said. Giorgina said the intense conditions helped the two friends bond: "There was definitely some summer heat stroke trauma that brought us closer together," she said.
The commission and town officials have said they wanted the project to be both a visible improvement to the roadway and an opportunity for youth engagement. Nahla said her family now often chooses routes home that pass the mural so they can see her work. Giorgina said she hopes to attend the California Institute of the Arts.
Residents and town leaders have framed the mural as part of ongoing efforts to beautify Glen Cove’s public spaces. The project followed a community art competition that the town used to identify local talent and to develop visual material for civic campaigns. Officials have not disclosed costs beyond materials and volunteer labor but described the undertaking as largely community-driven.
The mural remains on public display along Mill Hill Road and officials said it will be a permanent fixture unless future maintenance is required. The town has said it will continue to explore opportunities for similar projects that engage students and local artists in public art projects.
