Last year, Pawling Middle School Principal Megan Gleason and art teacher Crystal Walters had an idea. They envisioned a mural in the school cafeteria centered on a topic that students had been buzzing about for a few years: environmental sustainability.
“During the earlier stages of the pandemic the required food packaging was creating a lot of waste,” said Gleason. “Students noticed and there was a lot of conversation around creating a more sustainable eating environment, so we began thinking a lot about how to get that message across.”
As the two of them walked around the cafeteria to identify the best placement, there was an almost serendipitous turn of events: middle school music teacher Alicia Nace passed in the hallway and, upon overhearing their conversation, stepped in.
“I happen to follow a mural artist on social media and couldn’t help but pop in and say, ‘Hey – I know someone who might be able to help with this,’” she said. “I guess you could say that being nosy in the hallway paid off!”
Enter Joe Pimentel, a muralist who specializes in working in schools. Nace had been following him on Instagram for years and pointed Gleason and Walters in his direction. When they learned more about Pimentel’s work with other Hudson Valley schools, they contacted him and a relationship was born.
An artist with 11 years of experience designing murals, Pimentel is also a former substitute teacher. His two careers merged when he was asked to act as an artist in residency while designing a mural at a local elementary school. He enjoyed the experience so much that he established his own business, Pimentel Murals, and has since built a following in New York and New Jersey.
The project began with a meeting between Pimentel and middle school faculty and staff to plan out the mural’s theme and design. Pawling Middle School’s chosen themes were environment, community and diversity – pulled together with the tagline “One Tiger, Many Stripes.”
Gleason said that the themes and tagline were inspired by work from the School Culture Leadership Team (SCLT), a new school initiative designed to encourage a positive and welcoming school environment. The mural served as an ideal kickoff for the SCLT's inaugural effort – the TIGER Project – which focuses on inclusivity and anti-bullying.
“The SCLT is working toward a more student-centered environment and the whole mural project really plays into that,” she said. “It really was the perfect way to get the TIGER Project off the ground.”
Once the groundwork was laid, the project quickly gained momentum. Pimentel engaged middle schoolers in the creative process; he held a presentation about the mural and invited students to submit artwork based on the themes of environment, community and diversity. From over 100 submissions, he carefully selected pieces that best fit the composition and themes and included them in the mural.
Pimental said that his work as a muralist centers on student involvement, promoting a stronger sense of school community.
“Creating these murals is about helping students literally leave their mark," he said. "It’s not just about my art; it’s about community."
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