I have lived in many places over the course of my life. I was born in Baltimore, then moved to Minnesota, Illinois, New Hampshire and finally, Pennsylvania. I completed my undergrad at Messiah College and I just never really left the area. My greatest community of growth has been in Harrisburg but I have also planted myself here in Carlisle. My first gig right out of college was teaching at The Trout Gallery at Dickinson College – I went in knowing little to nothing about Carlisle but thankfully my position required close relationships and a wealth of knowledge of this community. It pushed me to learn about the nuances I now love. At The Trout I met people from all walks of life – from preschoolers to high schoolers to adult residents of Carlisle. It was here that I began to understand what makes up this place and what makes it so unique and special. Carlisle is the closest thing to a “hometown” that my nomadic self has probably ever felt.

After working at The Trout Gallery I transitioned into teaching art at Carlisle High School. I consider my students to be one of the stronger representations of this town. It is their home and they are the future – they know it better than most. It has been a joy getting to experience this community through their eyes. One of my favorite things about Mondays is that I get to hear about their weekends, where they went out to eat, what events they went to, where they hung out. They are my inside look, and continually make me feel involved in their community simply because I am connected to them. 

I love that Carlisle has a little bit of everything. You have a plethora of things going on in this little hub of a town. From the bit of hustle and bustle of downtown, to the quiet rural pockets, to what seems like a never ending opportunity of things to do, it seems rather idyllic. People are proud of this place and they are excited about it. I experienced this first-hand while painting this mural. I heard comments like, “Thank you for making our town beautiful,” or “This shows the pulse of our borough.” There was a level of pride in those comments, and an undeniable spark of joy. There seems to be a special buy-in with Carlisle that is rare and a lot of other places should tap into. 

I would love to say that Carlisle is an exclusion to challenge and adversity – but it is filled with humans, flawed ones, so inevitably it is not. A lot of the challenges I have experienced in Carlisle mimic the challenges that we face on a much larger, cultural, scale. As Carlisle is a reflection of our country, I believe my classroom is a reflection of Carlisle, and I see these large-scale issues come to life in smaller, more isolated situations. I believe the biggest issue is that there seems to be a fundamental inability for humans to coexist regardless of differences. I have seen instances in this community where people have overcome examples of this issue. I have witnessed my students learn to work together, coexist, and accept one another despite differences. It is my goal as an educator to continue having healthy, fruitful conversations that confront conflict and handle them in positive ways. It is also my goal to keep showing up for my students, advocating for those that may not be represented and fighting for peace. I may be one person but through conversations I have had with community members I know I am not alone. 

My hopes for the future of Carlisle mimics my hopes for this country, and world, as a whole. I hope that we strive to understand one another and love one another regardless of our differences. My hope is that Carlisle, and beyond, will be an environment that promotes and accepts self expression. My hope is that anyone can walk down the street and feel safe in their own skin. My hope is that we will be able to share our home with individuals we may not look like, act like, speak like or live like. It is rather simple. This should already be a thing. But it isn’t. So my hope is that there is change, that we will get to a place where we can all exist in a space that is undeniably accepting. – Amie Bantz, teacher at Carlisle High School and featured artist for Art While You Wait on corner of Hanover St. and High St.