Fulton County Ohio Media

On Tuesday, August 15, 2023, from 6:00 to 6:30 PM, the Swanton Middle School (SMS) will be holding a Mural Reveal event in a large classroom that once served as the school’s library.  The mural is functionally interactive and is the brainchild of SMS Career Coach Mike Remer who began thinking of how to put to use a blank 20’ x 36’ wall to best benefit his students.

“The classroom where I teach used to be a library and one day I came in here and all the books and cabinets were gone off this wall and I just saw this huge white board.  And over time it just occurred to me that maybe we could have a mural painted with all the businesses on it throughout the region and show the students how awesome it is to stay right here and have a great life and a great career and achieve your dream right here.  That’s sort of how we came up with the idea,” explained Mr. Remer.

The mural, painted by local artist Dave Rickerd, is themed “There’s No Place Like Home”, borrowing the famous quote spoken by Dorothy in the 1939 classic film, “The Wizard of Oz”.  You will see the Yellow Brick Road at its base as it splits off in several directions that lead to the more than 200 businesses and other organizations that offer numerous career opportunities.  Of course, Dorothy and her friends, the Scarecrow, the Tin Man and the Cowardly Lion are all present as well.

“Once we got the idea to put the businesses on the wall it occurred to me to make it more diverse if we used a QR (Quick Response) Code so that people can capture that QR Code and then have the mural come up on their phone or device,” said Mr. Remer.  “They could now tap on each one of the 200 plus businesses and go right to whatever content these businesses want them to see.  Some companies are sending customized videos to help students see how awesome it is to work there.  Others are using their normal website.”

Currently, in this America, there is a labor shortage and Fulton County is no exception.  According to Cara Leininger, Workforce Development Supervisor of Ohio Means Jobs of Fulton County, there are more job openings in Fulton County than there are high school students in all seven Fulton County school districts combined.  That is a fact that helps put things in perspective and why programs like the SMS Swanton Seven Initiative are partnering with local businesses to help produce a qualified and robust workforce for the area in the near future.

The Swanton Parents Club has stepped forward and is funding the mural program.  “We didn’t ask any businesses for any funding.  And they’re very generous anyway and they would have funded it,” said Mr. Remer.  “It’s meant a lot to me and our superintendent and our leaders to be able to go to these business people and say ‘Thank you for being great partners’.  It’s a way to give back.  The Swanton Parents Club funded the whole thing.”

The Parents Club had one stipulation that was immediately agreed to.  They wanted the program to be curriculum wide to help Swanton students realize that the stuff their learning in class was important and would have practical applications in many of the available careers.  “When they ask the question, ‘When will I ever use this when I get out of school?’, well, I’m going to work with the teachers here to come up with a curriculum around this board and around this campus to answer that question,” stated Mr. Remer.

The mural ties in very well with the SMS Swanton Seven Initiative, a culture-changing and award-winning program that is now entering its fifth year.  “This (the mural) is just one piece of that whole culture they built here before I got here,” said Mr. Remer.  “I’m just doing my part to raise the bar with everybody else here in this building.”

Photo: (L to R) Chris Lake (Swanton Schools Superintendent), Cara Leininger (Ohio Means Jobs Supervisor), Leigh Pancoast (Swanton Middle School Principal), Mike Remer (SMS Career Coach), Ashley Stambaugh (EMIS Coordinator), Ben Remer (Swanton Board of Education President), Matt Horen (SMS Assistant Principal), Dave Rickerd (Mural Artist)