Riverhead mom, artist volunteers to revamp softball dugout

A Riverhead mom and artist has donated her time to revamp the Riverhead High School softball dugout, the school district announced in a press release Monday.

Susan Kent, who taught art at Mount Sinai High School before retiring, said she would drive past the girls softball dugout when dropping her daughter Leia, a junior at the school, off for softball practice and thought the wall could use some sprucing up.

“As a parent, I saw that the dugout was in need of some improvement, and as an artist I saw it as a canvas waiting for a mural,” Ms. Kent said.

Earlier this year Ms. Kent also helped the junior class design its homecoming float, which had a “Scrabble” theme. The juniors took first place for their efforts.

“We did a lot of the painting with sponges to give the waves some texture, and then added the glove with the Riverhead logo as the ball flying through the air,” Ms. Kent said. They used two baseball bats to form the “V” in Blue Waves.

Leia and her friend, Catherine Brophy, helped paint the mural.

“The girls’ softball coaches, Mr. Fox and Mr. McKillop, and I on behalf of the district would very much like to thank Mrs. Kent for this wonderful gift,” said Riverhead High School principal Dave Wicks. “Now we can be proud of this corner of our campus.”