Reva Upadhayay, Salah Bouam, and Aliana Lloyd contributed to this article.
Entering Shalea Niles’s room, you will find students collaborating, creating art, and having fun in a friendly and welcoming class environment.
Niles was born and raised in the Boston area but moved to Georgia when she was in high school. She eventually moved back and returned to Massachusetts after missing the community and her family.
Her positive energy and drive to teach art have been a true asset to Malden High School. Niles had last taught for nine years in Georgia at a school that she adored. “I loved the vibrancy. I loved the school spirit. I loved the students. I enjoy just being in that space and constantly expanding myself within the space and creativity…I’m bringing in more school spirit here. I want to bring some vibrancy to the building. I want to bring in some more color,” said Niles, who exudes many important and valuable traits of a high-quality high school art teacher.
“I want to just plant my feet and get grounded here. Next year I plan to expand the curriculum, and also work with students and create a more safe and comfortable environment, and then hopefully play a role in uplifting a lot of the women inside of the building as well,” Niles stated.
Niles has already created a safe and welcoming environment, constantly making students smile and laugh while simultaneously steering them towards productivity. Her room has a homey feel; it is colorful and not as tightly packed as classrooms usually are. Niles also has a table with framed artwork by students along with additional artwork that has been done in her class. On a Friday in October, she walked around the room, constantly catering to her student’s needs so well that there was not a single student off track or not engaging in class.
“We’re excited to have her here. Her portfolio is incredible and she does a lot of great stuff,” said Principal Chris Mastrangelo.
Niles paints murals and plans to bring in a new mural in the building or even around the area of Malden. She also mentioned that she teaches kundalini yoga and meditation outside of the classroom in her spare time.
“The environment in the classroom is very nice and calm,” said sophomore Wongel Yohannes, a student in her period five class.
“I enjoy kids, they keep me young and always tell me something new. With teenagers, it’s like I can relate. A lot of the things that you guys are already doing, I kind of already do in my life, I’m just on a further path. A lot of the things that you may be interested in now or you’re thinking about, I’ve already kind of touched and I can pour my wisdom right back into those teenagers,” said Niles.
Julie Mullane, a neighboring art teacher, mentioned that Niles has “hit the ground running” and believes she will add a lot to the culture and environment of the school.
“I really enjoy her class, she’s a nice teacher and she always has a positive attitude. She’s always around helping students and even though she’s new, I feel like she’s making a good impact on the school already,” concluded sophomore Abner Rodriguez, a student in Niles’ period 3 class.
