Have you ever saw anything colorful, shiny, or decorative in the campus scenery? In the bushes, trees, behind some of the buildings, or in the tiny holes of the brick walls we have around campus? Well, what you see or may have seen are English teacher Mrs. Leah Setmire’s painted rocks!
These rocks are hidden all around campus, for students to find, and she does it for fun too. Every Monday, Setmire hides five of her rocks all over campus. She even places them onto the football field, track, music buildings, and baseball fields. She hides them under bushes, in trees, near every building on campus, and everywhere she walks. Setmire said, “I try to hide them everywhere, so anyone and everyone can find a rock to enjoy! My name is on the back of them most of the time.”
Setmire is also part of a club, it is the Simi Valley Rocks Club. This club hides rocks all over Simi Valley, so people can find them to keep or hide once again. All the designs of every rock is very unique. Setmire is not always the only one painting the rocks herself, sometimes her kids pitch in! But only if they have the time to do this. Setmire said, “Most of the time I’m the only one painting them. Sometimes students will paint rocks for me and give them for me to hide. Sometimes I even will find rocks around the community and re-hide them on campus as well.”
Students get five points extra credit if her painted rocks are found and shown to her on campus. It is five points for each rock they find, which can add up to a good amount of points depending on how many are found. She allows students to keep the rock or hide it themselves for someone else to find. Setmire said, “The point is not extra credit, its more about sharing art and the joy of finding something randomly.” Each rock is different and unique, all painted with different pictures. But since the holidays are coming up they are now more prominent with their themes. But usually, the rocks are painted with what ever comes to mind with Setmire.
Setmire first started this tradition in 2020, when COVID hit, it was a special way for her to cope and keep her mind off things. She also loved that this is a way for her to share with the community and feel connected. Setmire also wanted to add, “It’s so hard for teachers to be so isolated the way we were, we enjoy being around students and the community. Learning and laughing with you all, it was a really sad time for most of us….so I loved that this gave me a way to connect, despite the social distancing.”
