Moriarty High School's National Honor Society revamped the school's entrance with "The Hoof Project," adding white hoof prints and a bold "Pintos" design. This project, led by senior Audrey Carwile, aimed to create a welcoming entry, foster community involvement, and promote student interaction.
The street leading to Moriarty High Schoolhasa whole new look as the school’s chapter of the National Honor Society took paint brushes in hand recently and spruced up the entry.
“It was kind of fun, interactive,” said senior Audrey Carwile.
White, circular hoof prints guide visitors to the school, and a bold, white “Pintos,” along with the school’s green, black and white logo greets all entrants to the campus.
That was kind of the idea, Carwile said.
“I think it portrays the school a little better,” she said. “This is Moriarty High School. Come on in. It’s welcoming, almost.”
The Hoof Project is the whole group service project selected by the 64-member NHS Sandoval Strong Chapter – named for former Moriarty students Manuel, Pedro, and Mateo Sandoval, who were honor society members as well as Pintos athletes. The brothers were killed in an automobile crash in 2020.
It is one the Campus Beautification projects for the school year. said society advisor Linda-marie Monier.
The project was fun because it brought students together, Carwile said.
“A couple of them, I played softball with the past year, a few of them so it’s been easier to interact withthem,” she said. “But you put in random groups and were forced to work with that team that you probably didn’t know. A lot of the kids, I didn’t even have classes with me, but I got to meet them or talk with them more than I would have normally.”
Carwile did more than just paint, she was involved with the project from its onset, cutting out hoof print stencils and even queried the community on design options.
“A lot of the community actually voted on which one of the three designs they wanted,” she said. “I went to a Moriarty football game and talked with 200 or 300 people and they chose the design that won. So we got the community involved, as well. I’m not a very social person so having to talk to that many people was something different. But I cared a lot about the project.”
As for the project itself, “the painting part was pretty easy,” Carwhile said. Monier “had rigged a good system. We used tape to line up the stencil on the road so the hoof prints were easy to do. We had rollers and paint brushes to paint on the road.”