A student at Pathfinder, Trish, works on the mural.
Photo credit: Jill Kovalchik
PALMER — At Pathfinder Regional Vocational Technical High School, they are always looking for ways to improve their space and provide the most spirited environment possible for its students, staff and guests. The cafeteria space is an interior room on the lower level of the school and it does not have the luxury of windows. They thought adding a mural would bring some fun and interest to a heavily used space.
Brenda Turner, who served as interim principal for the 2023-2024 school year when this project began, and Food Service Director/culinary instructor Anthony Bishop, brainstormed ideas to enhance the atmosphere in the cafeteria.
Photo credit: Jill Kovalchik
Turner said, “We strive to not only provide an outstanding educational experience, but also an everyday school environment that is clean, safe, and welcoming.” She went on to say, “Being a regional vocational technical school, we are a new school for all of our students at some point in their secondary journey. We believe that bright, happy, cheerful spaces help create a welcoming environment, encourage positive school spirit and pride, and strengthen our school culture and sense of community.”
In the area, there are a series of doors utilized for cafeteria service which they incorporated, highlighting the doors as you would see in a European cafe scene, with little shops and bakeries lined up in a row. Turner and Bishop even considered ways to incorporate the doors in both the open and shut positions in the design.
Turner said, “European cafe scenes offer whimsical, vibrant, welcoming vibes, which we thought would add so much to our space.” Turner met local artist/owner of Chapin Street Studios Jill Kovalchik many years ago and have followed her work via social media. Turner and Bishop felt that not only would Kovalchik do incredible artistic work bringing their vision to life, but with her personality and experiences in teaching, she would also be a wonderful resource for their own students who have an interest in art. “Weaving Pathfinder Tech students into this project was absolutely part of the overall vision,” Turner added.
In the spring, Bishop and Turner met with Pathfinder Tech students enrolled in their Studio Art courses to let them know about the upcoming mural project and introduce them to Kovalchik. The students met with her for a session to hear first-hand about the proposed project, how she approaches the design process, and then provided an overview of the steps that would be necessary to complete it.
The students were provided an opportunity to work alongside Kovalchik and be a part of the process if they were interested and able to during the summer work sessions. She reached out to the students sharing design details and bringing forth feedback and contributions.
“The process has been great,” Kovalchik said. “I worked with three students: Trish, Mason and Ryleigh. Those three are the ones that stepped forward and decided they wanted to donate some time to doing this project. I think it’s going to be a really good portfolio piece for them and a good experience for them working on something that’s going to last.”
