Para leer este artículo en español, haz clic aquí.
Look for the paper butterflies hidden outside of Riley Elementary School. They are reminders of Jessica Schroeder, a beloved teacher at the west Salt Lake City school who died of cancer last year at age 30.
An outdoor learning space at Riley Elementary now carries her name and a bright mural immortalizes her — and her relationship with her students.
The work features kids exploring a garden, prickly pear cactuses, monarch butterflies, rainbows and gold stars — all representative of her personality and things she enjoyed. The foreground shows Schroeder reading a book.
(Chris Samuels | The Salt Lake Tribune) A new mural and outdoor learning space, dedicated to Jessica Schroeder, a teacher who died of cancer in 2021, is unveiled at Riley Elementary School Tuesday, Nov. 1, 2022.
Schroeder came from a family of educators and often discussed her love for her pupils and her work, her mother, Alison Schroeder, said at Tuesday’s mural dedication. The community supported her after she fell ill, filling in for her so she could get treatment and handing her small gestures of love.
“What a wonderful community this is,” said her mom, who traveled from Connecticut to see the mural. “Pulling this together.”
Thinking about those tight ties still brings her to tears.
“Everybody was just wonderful,” Alison Schroeder said. “This really is a great place for her to have wound up.”
(Glendale Neighborhood Council) Jessica Schroeder, late teacher at Riley Elementary School. The school and the Glendale community created a mural and an outdoor learning space in her memory.
Regina Stenberg, who teaches art at Riley Elementary, painted the mural, executing the vision of the school’s staff.
“We wanted the mural to reflect Jess’ teaching philosophy and her social ideologies,” Stenberg said. “Jess valued curiosity, exploration and the discovery of different people and places in the world around us.”
More importantly, the artist said, the staffers hope the mural reflects how Schroeder inspired students and colleagues to embrace these values. A butterfly effect, so to speak, that inspires learning.
(Chris Samuels | The Salt Lake Tribune) Regina Stenberg stands in front of her mural, painted in memory of Jessica Schroeder, a teacher who died of cancer in 2021, at Riley Elementary School Tuesday, Nov. 1, 2022.
The work was commissioned by the Glendale Neighborhood Council and funded by Salt Lake City Arts Council. Sarah Wolfe, board member of the Glendale council, highlighted how public artwork strengthens the community and helps elevate cultural history.
“We see it when we are walking our dogs, riding our bikes or driving to work, while we are having a picnic at the park, going grocery shopping or, as with this mural, while we are teaching or learning at school,” Wolfe said. “Everyone deserves to experience the benefits of art that reflects the spirit and atmosphere of the community.”
(Chris Samuels | The Salt Lake Tribune) A new mural and outdoor learning space dedicated to Jessica Schroeder, a teacher who died of cancer in 2021, is unveiled at Riley Elementary School Tuesday, Nov. 1, 2022.
Besides the butterflies that are scattered around, the Schroeder Outdoor Learning Space, organized by the school’s library technology teacher, Shelly Powell Hamilton, hosts other elements Schroeder would have embraced: reading rocks, book houses and an explorative garden with different kinds of beds for sensory experiences, or to attract pollinators and butterflies. The Salt Lake City School District and organizations such as the Utah Educational Library Media Association also chipped in to make the space a significant addition.
Kids at the school now get to pick up a book or their Pokemon cards on one of the tables in a colorful space filled with learning opportunities — just like Schroeder would have encouraged them to do.
(Chris Samuels | The Salt Lake Tribune) Butterflies placed in garden beds are photographed in an outdoor learning space dedicated to Jessica Schroeder, a teacher who died of cancer in 2021, at Riley Elementary School Tuesday, Nov. 1, 2022.
Alixel Cabrera is a Report for America corps member and writes about the status of communities on the west side of the Salt Lake Valley for The Salt Lake Tribune. Your donation to match our RFA grant helps keep her writing stories like this one; please consider making a tax-deductible gift of any amount today by clicking here.
