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." 

With planning in place, Pimentel drew the mural and outlined it on a prominent wall in the cafeteria. Students lined up to participate in the painting process; over 120 students asked to contribute their time and Nace found herself coordinating their efforts in order to ensure a smooth process.

According to Nace, Pimentel’s work with students stretched beyond the project. She once found him in the cafeteria during a lunch break with a group of eighth graders who brought their original comics to share.

“They were just hanging out together talking about comics and art,” said Nace. “It was a really cool moment.”

After a week of work by students, staff and Pimentel himself – who continued to lend his expertise by gently guiding their efforts and offering advice – the completed mural was unveiled. 

Gleason said that the students’ involvement in the mural fostered a sense of ownership and pride; eighth grade artist Julian Villenueva even exclaimed "This is the best day of my life!" upon seeing his artwork featured on the wall.

“It’s so important to us that students feel represented in the school, whether it’s a spoken idea or a personalized space in the school,” Gleason said. “We hope they are proud when they look at the mural.”

Pimentel echoed her sentiments, adding that his primary focus is always the students.

“If I did it all on my own, where’s the connection?” he said. It’s very meaningful and exciting. For the kids to be able to look at our art and reflect on the fact that they put it together as a school community really means something.

“It’s about letting them leave a legacy and lasting message that represents something that’s important to them.”

It may have been cold and dark outside, but Pawling Middle School was alight with laughter and activity on the evening of Friday, February 2, during the annual Stone Soup Festival.

Inspired by the folktale "The Legend of Stone Soup” in which a group of hungry strangers convince townspeople to create a communal feast by each sharing small amounts of food, the event was conceived over 20 years ago by retired Pawling librarian Cheryl Egdemir. Now organized by Pawling School District Community Involvement Coordinator Joan Roberts, the Stone Soup Festival brings together children and their families for an evening of workshops, storytelling and – of course – hot soup. 

“The idea was and still is that just as the villagers in the story combine their ingredients to make a better soup, our community members can combine their time and talents to create a better community,” said Roberts.

The festival invites children in the community to join friends and family for shared learning experiences each year. Attendees reviewed a list of workshops in advance, each signing up for two based on their interests. Cupcake decorating, clay art and slime-making are perennial favorites, while newer offerings included origami, tee shirt decorating and an impasto painting class. 

Families and their children rotated to their chosen workshops halfway through the event, wrapping up the evening by gathering together as a group to enjoy hot soup provided by the food services department – on the menu this year was pasta fagioli. Community member Camille Ludington and student performers entertained the crowd with a read-aloud while students acted out the story onstage.

Roberts emphasized the importance of the festival as an opportunity for families to bond over shared interests.

“Children under age 14 are required to attend their workshops with a parent or trusted adult, so it provides a wonderful opportunity to enjoy an ‘unplugged’ activity together,” she said. “Maybe it’ll start a new interest or and maybe it’ll just be a one-time experience for the evening, but it’s a special time that everyone really looks forward to.”

This was certainly demonstrated this year with more than 250 people in attendance, making it one of the most successful Stone Soup Festivals yet. That number increased to around 300 with volunteers and workshop leaders, who Roberts said were key to the program's success. She especially touted the efforts of this year’s “goodwill ambassadors:” middle school students who offered their time to direct attendees to classrooms. Two even acted as translators, guiding Spanish speaking students and their families through the workshops.

Roberts said that the festival’s longevity and popularity can be attributed to the lasting memories created between students and their families.

“I’ve been told several times by high school students and even graduates how much they enjoyed those special memories with their parents,” she said. “Some still have their creations at home.

“Ultimately, it’s not about the slime, clay, cupcakes or even the soup. It’s about creating a unique bonding experience that families and the community can enjoy together.”

Special thanks goes to all of the volunteers and team who made this year’s Stone Soup Festival a success, including – but not limited to – Camille Ludington; School Food Service Director Lauren Collica. Pawling Middle School Chef Jen Salandra (who made the soup); teachers Jessica Garcia and Mark Mamolejo who coordinated the student volunteers; custodian Dave Zito and his team who readied the building; and Pawling Town Supervisor of Buildings and Grounds Wendel Weber who advertised on the Community Bulletin Board.

The Health and Wellness Committee invites you to participate in the required Triennial Assessment of our Wellness Policy. These surveys help us to assess staff, student and community perspectives and establish new goals based on our health and wellness policies.  

CLICK HERE to access the Health and Wellness Committee brochure which highlights our policies and mission statements for the Pawling CSD. Please use this as a reference before completing the survey.

This survey is voluntary but we truly appreciate your participation and value your feedback as this helps the committee to assess and expand our objectives. 

CLICK HERE TO ACCESS THE SURVEY

If you have any questions please don't hesitate to contact Lauren Collica, Food Service Director at collical@pcsdny.org or 845-855-4627

Digital Backpack

The digital backpack is updated regularly with information from the schools and local community. You can find a link for it under the Parent tab of the homepage. It is also listed on the homepage with the date of the most recent update.

We Are Hiring!

The Pawling Central School District is a great place to work. We have positions open for full-time permanent building substitute teachers, typists and custodial workers. We also have substitute positions open in many other job categories: certified teacher, uncertified teacher, teaching assistant, teacher aide, monitor, bus driver and food service worker. We also have part-time positions open, such as school monitor. Full-time positions earn excellent benefits. As a team of educators, we never doubt that we are making a difference for our community. PCSD offers walk-throughs and orientations for those thinking about working in schools. Our very best employees are often people who live in our community. Diverse and bilingual candidates are encouraged to apply. See the link below to reach our friendly and helpful Human Resources Team.

https://www.pawlingschools.org/human_resources