Within the heart of Ripon High School lies a significant wall that showcases the resilience of our country’s citizens by appreciating our veterans and active military personnel. 

The newest addition to our campus, the Military Honor Wall, celebrates all members, past or present, of the military branches. 

Concepts relating to the Military Honor Wall were first discussed in 2017, eight years prior to its installation. Although the Military Honor Wall stands tall and proud at our school today, Ripon High’s celebration of the military wasn’t originally meant to be displayed on a wall. It was meant to be exhibited through a shadow box.

When the idea of a shadow box evolved into creating the Military Honor Wall, our faculty got straight to work on making dreams a reality for students at Ripon High.

“The project started over last summer,” says Rod Wright, the athletic director for Ripon High.

The design of the wall was constructed by Murals for School Inc. during the summer and the fall seasons of 2024. Then, the wall’s artist, Joel Aguilar, started painting the wall in early January and finished painting the Military Honor wall early February.

“They were going to paint everything on the wall. A decision was made not to paint everything on the wall. That’s why we have the medallions and the letters, because we wanted to make it look more three dimensional,” Wright adds.

Currently, the Military Honor Wall represents nine separate branches; the United States Army, United States Marine Corps, United States Navy, United States Air Force, United States Space Force, United States Coast Guard, the Fire Department, and the Police Department.

Jill Mortensen, leadership director at Ripon High, states that the wall’s purpose is, “…to honor every member of our community, that was part of Ripon High School, who went into the military to fight for our freedom.”