Roseboro-Salemburg Middle School is building belonging with a new house system, and art teacher Jemeikka Steele is ushering in the new program with a mural in the cafeteria.
Steele has been the art teacher at the middle school since 2022, and this is the third mural she has painted in her time at the school. Steele says she is excited for the changes happening at the school and how they will impact the students as a whole. “I’m all about art, but I’m all about the students,” she stressed.
Principal Becky Hines said she is excited for the unity the new house system will bring students and staff alike. “Not just one thing, one class, one grade, but belonging for everyone,” Hines stressed.
The new mural represents the four houses of the new house system at Roseboro-Salemburg Middle. Each house represents one characteristic the RSMS family believes students should develop during their time in middle school. The traits are grace, gratitude, growth, and grit, and the mural will serve as a daily reminder of “who we are and what we stand for, Hines.
The mural was made possible through Sampson County Schools’ Project ACTIVATE. North Carolina’s Project AWARE/ACTIVATE is a collaboration between the N.C. Department of Public Instruction and the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services to develop a comprehensive plan of activities, services, and strategies for connecting youth and families to mental health services in six pilot school districts.
Steele explained that this mural was an easier project than previous ones. “Easier in the summer,” she shared. Painting this mural has been a family affair, with both Steele’s husband and daughter working on the project to ensure it was completed on time.
The art teacher shared that she invited several rising seventh-graders who had, and loved, her class this past year, including one self-contained student. “I knew it would mean a lot to him,” Steele pointed out, sharing how much the students loved to paint.
“No other medium gets the whole class excited,” shared the art teacher with a smile.
Before Steele became the Roseboro-Salemburg art teacher, she served as a substitute teacher for Clinton City Schools. One day, she said she heard her name resounding down the hall from Diana Gore, the Butler Avenue art teacher at the time. “Why aren’t you teaching?” asked Gore emphatically, after seeing the doodles Steele had made on her board while subbing in her class.
“She was the first person I called after I passed my licensure,” shared Steele about Gore.
Steele had been a substitute teacher in part because it worked well with her daughter’s school schedule, so it was special when she got to see her daughter each day during her time at Roseboro-Salemburg Middle.
Gia Jasso Steele has just finished eighth grade at RSMS, and while she never took her mom’s class, she will always be her first student. Steele shared that she always has her daughter complete each assignment so she can show her work as an example to her students. “So it’s less intimidating, Steele explained.
Gia described working on the mural as “fun. The lettering is hard.” She expressed interest in many artistic endeavors and will be doing caricatures while her mom will be doing face painting at the Aug. 1 community cookout. Gia explained her interest in drawing people and how she’s developed her ability. “Before I actually looked at people, I would see the same face shape, so everyone looks the same. Now I really see.”