For a period of about 10 months, the walls of William E. Miller Elementary School in Bend were adorned with inspirational quotes and the original works of a local artist. In August, the murals were painted over.
In the summer of 2021, a teacher at Miller was feeling anxious about returning to school. Between the ongoing safety and socio-emotional concerns of teaching in the U.S. in the 21st Century, and COVID still looming large, fourth-grade teacher Stephanie Rodgers wanted to create something to uplift the school community.
“With this uncertainty, what could at least be certain was, I’m going to enter my school and smile, because of the art on the walls,” Rodgers told the Source Weekly. “That was my vision.”
Rodgers said she reached out to Miller Principal Jen Healy, who Rodgers said was enthusiastic about the prospect of commissioning local artist Teafly Peterson, known professionally as simply “Teafly,” to create art inside the school.
“She said, yes—a resounding yes,” Rodgers said of Healy’s approval. “I mean, she didn’t have to think even 10 seconds.”
Healy did not respond to the Source’s requests for comment, but emails obtained through a public records request confirm that in September 2021, Healy obtained approval from the Miller Parent-Teacher Organization to pay Peterson a fee of $3,080 for the mural project. Healy’s emails also looped in Glen Carey, custodial engineer at Miller, informing him that Peterson would be in the building over the course of about six weekends. Painting on the weekends due to COVID protocols that disallowed visitors inside schools during school days, Peterson created 19 murals and other smaller works in classrooms, bathrooms and hallways, accompanied by quotes from people such as Dolly Parton and Maya Angelou. In each bathroom a mural stating, “You are loved” was painted backwards, so students would be able to read the phrase in the mirrors.
“I have a vivid memory of turning around and saying something to one of my students and she just looked at me and said, ‘Mrs. Rodgers, I just got the chills.’ And I can’t teach that. That’s what art is. And that’s what an inspirational quote does to a nine-year-old.”
“For instance, the kindergarten mural is pretty basic, [saying] ‘Be a rainbow in somebody else’s cloud.’ They all have to do with kindness,” Rodgers said.
The response from staff and students, Rodgers said, was overwhelmingly positive.
“Every classroom toured the school with a specific reason, and that was to choose your favorite mural and accompanying quote. I have a vivid memory of turning around and saying something to one of my students and she just looked at me and said, ‘Mrs. Rodgers, I just got the chills.’ And I can’t teach that,” Rodgers said. “That’s what art is. And that’s what an inspirational quote does to a nine-year-old.”
District concerns
In the spring of 2022, maintenance staff for Bend-La Pine Schools brought the mural project to the attention of Skip Offenhauser, executive director of Elementary Programs.
“I had discussions with our maintenance department and was reminded of our policy… regarding painting in our buildings,” Offenhauser told the Source Weekly. BLPS’ Requirements for Volunteer Painting include requirements around following “the established color scheme for each school and site,” and restrict the use of things like “faux finishes, extravagant paint patterns, wallpaper, student handprints, excessive color contrasts, stenciling and borders,” as well as instructions for wall prep, masking and painting.
Principal Healy did not respond to the Source’s emails, but Offenhauser said Healy did not follow proper protocol in regard to the murals at Miller.
“The very first thing that we had to remind ourselves was that all painting projects—and there’s many reasons embedded underneath it—all painting projects needed to be approved by Facilities,” Offenhauser said. “I think what was coming into Jen’s [Healy’s] mind was more of painting rooms different colors and the policy was more in her head around that.”
The official decision from BLPS: the murals would need to be painted over. As an alternative, the murals could be redone on canvas and hung around the school, emails between district staff show.
Between May and June of this year, maintenance and administrative staff for BLPS debated via email about who would inform Healy of the need to paint over the artworks. On June 24, an email from Offenhauser to Dan Dummit, maintenance director for BLPS, revealed Offenhauser’s reservations about the project.
“…I did get a chance to walk the school on my own and I do have some reservations and questions about painting over the murals and see some challenges with reproducing them on canvas/boards and mounting them,” Offenhauser wrote.
Another email on July 28 indicated that the district would allow Healy to select one mural “to keep” inside Miller.
When Rodgers, the fourth-grade teacher, entered the school in early August to begin prepping her classroom for the school year, all the murals were gone, minus one at the school’s entrance. On Aug. 9, district officials began to craft communication “to staff and parents that explains things and next steps.”
The artist’s reaction
Artist Teafly Peterson told the Source Weekly that she learned about the painting over of the murals through a Facebook post Rodgers posted in early August. [Disclosure: Teafly has been a writer and artistic contributor to the Source Weekly on a number of occasions.]
“It’s like this seven-layer cake of grief. It wasn’t like they painted over it and made the walls nice,” Peterson told the Source. “I was looking at pictures where it was just haphazardly painted over, and I think that probably added to the pain of it.”
Members of the PTO who funded the project were likewise concerned.
“Especially after COVID—it just really wreaked havoc, I think, on mental health for kids and teachers alike, and it was just this wonderful bright, positive way of welcoming kids and teachers and staff back to the school. I thought it was a great use of funds,” said Emily Pietrzak, president of the Miller PTO during the 2020-21 school year. “When I heard that the district took the time and budgeted to paint over them, I thought, you know, there’s a larger problem in the district, in how they solve issues, and I think this was a really poor way of handling a situation that they weren’t happy with.”
Rodgers, the teacher, also expressed concerns about the message sent to kids about conflict resolution. “I don’t know what to say,” Rodgers said. “Your art has been painted over because of a rule. OK, so we broke the rule. Well then, let’s talk about the rule and maybe that rule needs to be changed.”
Peterson also sees it as an equity issue.
“This is one of the most affluent neighborhoods in our community, and they were treated this way? What’s happening in our community where the parents don’t have the resources or don’t have the time available to advocate for their kids on this level?” she said. “We force them to do these things… we make them duck and cover—do their active shooter drills, and the little bit of joy that was on their walls to help them through this process is now gone.”
“God, somebody walked in with a bucket of paint and a roller and painted over, ‘You are loved.'” — Emily Pietrzak
A new project
BLPS officials did not provide an estimate of the time and material costs incurred by the district for the repainting, but said that it used “standard paint” that the district uses in all buildings, and that the job was done by maintenance staff.
“This was a tough situation at all levels,” BLPS Superintendent Steve Cook told the Source. “We’ve learned from this, and we’re going to get it resolved.” BLPS officials say they plan to have the murals reproduced on canvas or another material so that the art can be replaced at Miller, but it’s not clear who will pay for the artist’s time.
“I’m actually kind of happy to get the opportunity to recreate the art with people because it’s so sad, the fact that kids don’t have it there,” Peterson said.
Pietrzak, whose kids have since aged out of Miller, said paying for the project with PTO funds would be a tough call.
“Even though, you know, the ultimate outcome is, ‘we want this here for the kids to see,’ you know, just the whole principle of the thing of, we have to fundraise for this again. That’s not fair, you know?” Pietrzak said.
“I was also thinking, God, somebody walked in with a bucket of paint and a roller and painted over, ‘You are loved.'”
This article appears in Source Weekly September 22, 2022.
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You are Offenhausered.
The BLPS district has a lot of issues with very poor decision making in where they focus their energies. I could make a long laundry list only being here four years, but I will just say that I wish our school board, administrators and superintendent would focus their attention and resources on actually making our schools safe for ALL children, instead of putting energy into erasing art work that brings children and teachers joy in an elementary school considering the world we live in. We need more art in our schools. This was a waste of valuable resources Skip and very disappointing to read about this considering the lack of time spent when my daughter was in 3rd grade at Miller and during a teacher led search, porn came up on her iPad. The district barely addressed that saying “these things are bound to happen”. How about keeping these young kids safe and not having an iPad as a primary learning tool and getting paper and pens back in their hands and possibly painting murals on their school walls. Now there’s a great idea.
The murals were great and especially the inspirational ones for the kids to remember kindness and uplifting one another. Kids need positive reinforcement. Heck, we all do! Seems they wasted funds and time painting these over and bringing the drab walls back to life. Maybe the kids can do inspirational poster projects to hang in place of the gifted art work that was taken from them.
Any rule that looks down its nose at different “color schemes” in an elementary school needs to be changed.
What a shame. I can’t believe they removed such beautiful and inspirational artwork from a talented local artist. This was so cool for the children and made the classrooms…happier.
Time to take some of the BLPS Maintenance budget and fund an Inspirational Art Program that fits their “rules”.
Both my children attend Miller and the LOVED the wall art. When covid restrictions eased and parents were allowed back inside, it was the first thing they pulled me down the halls to see. The inspirational wall art and the fact that a local artist made it created a sense of pride for their school. They were proud of it and couldn’t wait to show me. When I saw the “after” photos of how the art had been poorly slapped over with paint, it looked as if the school had been vandalized over the summer. Such a shame.
To me, this case brings up the issue of support for teachers. Having been a teacher, I know that many teachers are in this profession because it is a labor of love, hoping to make a difference, inspiring and motivating children. We all know that teaching is not a profession for those seeking material wealth! Through Covid, through school shooting scares, poor pay, poor resources, teachers are there because they love the kids and want to nurture and feed their sense of wonder and curiosity. Teachers are the ones who are on the front lines, in the trenches, the ones actually interacting with and understanding students–their anxieties, learning needs, and what inspires. If you are a teacher, it is understood that a student cannot learn to read, to do arithmetic, understand history and science unless they feel grounded, secure, comfortable and happy. Socio-emotional learning–how to be kinder and better citizens to each other and in the community– are an integral part of the whole picture of learning. And Mrs. Rodgers, by virtue of being on the front lines, actually interacting with the children, knew what her children and others in the school needed–inspiration, beauty, kind words–everything that was in the murals. She–not outdated rules that perhaps need to be reevaluated–knows better what the children need. What would you–school district, administration, parents, community– do to give much needed support and respect, a voice to your caring and hardworking teachers? Can we as a community ask, “What is best for the children?” and seek guidance on this question from our teachers. When it comes to raising and nuturing and teaching our children… politics and personal egos need to take a back seat. That’s what (most) teachers do. Put children first. SO, listen to teachers. Support them. In my opinion, not including Mrs. Rodgers and other teachers in the decision to remove the mural lacked decency and respect for the teaching profession.
Wow, where to even begin on this one? In a perfect world, Skip Offenhauser would be unceremoniously fired for allowing this egregious story to play out as it did. What, exactly, is an “executive director of Elementary Programs” anyway? And who the heck can consciously paint over beautifully done, inspirational murals meant to uplift the spirits of elementary students and spark creativity, with horrific beige? Especially one that states “you are loved”? I’d 100% quit my job with much pomp and circumstance before doing something as awful as that. Thank you Stephanie, Jenn Healy, Emily Pietrzak, and of course Teafly, for all that you did to enhance and brighten the students’ learning environment through art and creativity – if only for a little while. What happened is just so disheartening, and any attempts to now recreate those efforts on canvas will just be a sad reminder of what could have been.
Unbelievable! That’s all I can say.
Our school district is ran by Marxist…..period
This is truly heartbreaking. Having worked in an elementary school for many years that celebrated art and had many inspirational murals and art project on display, I know how much comfort and joy kids get from being in a beautified environment that values children and creativity. What a shameful and senseless decision. Just awful.
Our bend school teachers are great. I used to fully support the BLPS district – but this ended that.
It is an example of very poor decision making at the district level.
So who runs the school district – and how do we go about getting them replaced? Do the school boards have any power?
My two girls attended Miller. We love the school and the staff. Both my girls had Mrs. Rodgers. To say she is an exceptional teacher would be an understatement.
When I first heard of what happened, I was crushed. This is one of those example where those enforcing the rules acted like robots instead of thinking humans. In what universe does it make sense to obliterate loving positive messages for children with drab lifeless nothingness? I understand that rules are in place, put there with the intention to limit abuse or extremism. But no rule is perfect, and here was the perfect scenario where someone with authority (I’m looking at you Skip) should have realized that the rule/s pertaining to this artwork should not apply (for numerous reasons). An exception should have been made!
I also know humans are not infallible. My first response to what happened here was anger. I wanted to know who to blame for this travesty. Now that I know, I don’t want vengeance, but rather the hope that future decisions made by humans in charge will be made using their thinking brains rather than being on autopilot.
woke psychopaths