School Pride on Display

In 2014, nine large Dragons took up residence at each school and the stadium in the Johnston Community School District. Now, four more Dragons are preparing to land in Johnston, this time on the west side of the city around the new Johnston High School.

There will be two roundabouts with one dragon each; on the high school property, a dragon will be placed near the front entry to the school and another at the athletic complex entrance. Dragon Nation has never been stronger!

Searching for (Student) Artists

We want these Dragons to be a reflection of our students and their pride for Johnston High School.

To be considered you must…

  • Be a Johnston Community School District student in grades 8-12
  • Submit a draft of your Dragon design, including colors, patterns, and other details.
  • Create a statement of why you want to paint a Dragon and what it means to you.
  • All submissions will be reviewed and selected by a committee.
  • Submit a budget for the work. Up to $300 dollars will be provided for each Dragon.
  • You must have an identified staff member or other adult who has agreed to monitor your work.
  • Dragons will be housed in a central location – TBD – to complete the work. Once the student artists have been chosen, the district will work with the students/families to secure a place to paint the dragons.

More Details

Dragon sculptures are made of concrete and will weigh around 400 pounds each; they are 4 feet high.

The artist or artists’ name(s) will be placed on a commemorative plaque along with sculpture.  Dragon sculptures will be placed at the new JHS, new Dragon Stadium and one each on the round-about on 100th entering the campus.

Download and print out a blank Dragon to sketch out design ideas.

Guidelines for Painting

Suggested guidelines for painting (However this is your dragon and your entry and so how you choose to paint/decorate your dragon is up to you)

  • Concrete statues need to be DRY & CLEAN at 65 degrees or above and are out of direct sunlight.
  • Outdoor latex paint needs to be applied by either an air gun sprayer or brush. No primer is necessary. Two evenly applied coats (not too heavy) of Latex paint are needed, letting paint dry between coats.
  • In order for the paint to cure correctly, do not let freshly painted concrete statue get rained on or wet for at least three (3) days.
  • An outdoor sealer should be applied after the latex paint is cured to protect the paint so as to weather longer and resist fading.
  • DO NOT apply sealer first before painting with latex paint
  • DO NOT use enamel paint.
  • DO NOT use indoor paint.

Questions related to the painting process can be directed to Connie Priutt, SMS art teacher and 2014 Painted Dragon artist.

General questions about the painted dragons can be directed to Laura Sprague.