As Autumn is coming closer, the trees and the school walls are changing colors. Have you noticed the murals around the school?

From the green “wordle” by the front entrance to the colorful spheres near the library, artistic students are taking part in the mural committee under the direction of Ms. Stephanie DiGiacopo, Ms. Jessica Miranda, and Ms. Christine Steinmetz, who are all art teachers here at Pascack Valley.

Their main focus is to channel positive attitude and wellness throughout the school.

“The academics play a huge part, but we didn’t want to lose sight of the fact that you need balance in life and I thought that that would be a very relatable theme to base our murals around,” said Steinmetz.

The theme was decided between the leaders and the administration when they agreed that a healthy mindset would be the best aspect of a student’s life to advertise throughout the school.

The original idea of having a mural club was created by the teachers. However, each of the murals is entirely student run. The teachers mostly partake in the planning and brainstorming, which allows the students the freedom to bring each mural to life.

“I think that it is so cool to be a part of something larger than you. Something that is timeless, something that is really built into PV. Even just having a hand in planning, I think that it is such a privilege to leave a mark like that. Not to get all artsy, but our visual language is a universal language, in that a lot of people can relate and understand,” said Steinmetz.

The artwork near the library displays wellness from the perspective of the students, from meditation to healthy eating to sunsets. They first developed their ideas on Photoshop so that it would feel more realistic. Each bubble within the mural is designed to be a light fixture to match the industrial look that the food carts create.

The second mural was created by Hanna Wrede, a junior at PV.

“I made the second mural on my computer using Photoshop and, basically, I had some of people get some [inspirational] words that they think describes Pascack Valley. We used all different fonts, projected it onto the wall, and drew it out. Then we started to paint it in PV colors to empower what Valley means. Every time someone walks in, they will see something encouraging to read and look at,” Wrede said.

This year, the students and teachers involved are considering the idea of creating a surreal piece in Mrs. Grier’s office, as well as a mural outside on the baseball supply shed in order to introduce the artists to different environments.

A full-year double Pascack Period course is available to anyone who wants to work on the murals, along with sessions after school.