Thursday, October 1, 2026
Gabriela Guizzo, a 2026 graduate of South Side High School in Rockville Centre, is beginning a new chapter at the University of Massachusetts, but not before leaving behind a parting gift for her alma mater — a mural of some of the most influential women in history.
As part of ASSESS — Alternatives for Senior Students Exiting South Side — graduating seniors are given the opportunity to pursue an independent project that is meaningful to them. For Guizzo, that opportunity resulted in “Thirty-six Women Who Made History,” an 18-canvas mural featuring two portraits on each canvas.
The canvases are arranged together in a hallway near the school’s art and history classrooms, reflecting the two subjects that helped shape Guizzo’s high school experience.
"I knew that I wanted to do a mural because I’ve always loved art,” the 18-year-old said. “When I was thinking of what I was going to do, I decided to combine my interest in history with a love of art and create a mural that kind of taught about history.”
The mural features women from a range of fields and eras, including civil rights trailblazers Rosa Parks, Harriet Tubman and Sojourner Truth; scientists and innovators Rachel Carson, Gladys West and Shirley Jackson; aviator Bessie Coleman; astronaut Kalpana Chawla; writer Toni Morrison; artist Georgia O’Keeffe; athlete Billie Jean King; and entertainers Ella Fitzgerald, Lucille Ball and Dolly Parton.
Parton's mural was particularly poignant because she died on Aug. 25, just weeks after Guizzo completed it.
“I was not thinking that that could happen,” Guizzo said of the singer-songwriter's death. “I immediately thought back to when I was painting that portrait of her. I think when she passed, it made it a lot more meaningful that she’s on the mural.”
She initially considered featuring women from throughout world history, and her original list grew to about 50 names before she reduced it to 36. She selected women who were considered particularly influential from a variety of fields, including science, technology, medicine, journalism, activism, politics, exploration, art, literature, music and entertainment.
Guizzo said she also wanted to give recognition to women whose accomplishments may have been overlooked.
The Rockville Centre resident began the project in May and completed the work around late July or early August, working both at school and at home. Rather than painting directly on the high school wall, she used individual canvas boards that could be transported and worked on separately.
That approach, suggested by South Side art teacher Keith Gamache, allowed her to continue painting outside school and assemble the pieces into one mural. Gamache said his role was “almost like that of a coach,” helping keep the ambitious project manageable while allowing Guizzo room to pursue her vision.
Even after she narrowed the list to 36 women, he worried whether she could complete the work before leaving for college, Gamache said. But she kept revising and refining the portraits rather than simply finishing them.
“She wasn’t doing it at any point to get it done,” Gamache said. “She was doing it at all points for it to be the best thing that she could create.”
The mural far exceeded the 30 hours required for an ASSESS project. Gamache said Guizzo continued working throughout the summer, even as prom and graduation approached, and eventually emailed him a photograph of all 36 completed portraits.
Gamache said the mural, located on the second floor between Rooms 2302 and 2304 and measuring 30 inches tall by 84 inches wide, has drawn strong reactions since it was installed, even before the start of the new school year on Sept. 1. Staff members stopped him in the hallway to discuss it, and teachers have said they could use the work as an instructional tool.
“It really exists and speaks beyond decoration on a wall,” Gamache said.
Patrick Walsh, South Side's principal, praised Guizzo’s achievement and its lasting impact on the school.
“We are so proud of Gabriela,” Walsh wrote in an email. “Over her time at South Side, she has demonstrated a commitment and excellence in the area of fine arts. Her mural is now something that students and staff will be able to enjoy long after her graduation from our school.”
Now a history major at the University of Massachusetts, Guizzo said she is still trying to figure out how art will fit into her future career, but she's determined to keep it part of her life. She plans to pursue art outside the classroom through clubs and other activities.
For Guizzo, leaving the mural behind feels fitting because South Side’s art and history departments were two of the areas that most shaped her high school years.
“It definitely feels like that,” she said about leaving the mural as a present to the school. “Being able to channel that into this mural that’s going to be there ongoing, it definitely feels like my final gift.”
Gamache said, given the chance, he would have done one thing differently as Guizzo’s mentor.
“The thing that I’ve been telling people is I wish I had encouraged Gabby to make herself one of the 36 women as part of the mural,” he said, “because you could argue she belongs up there.”
