Klamath Falls native Ashley Spivey has spent nearly two decades teaching kindergarten, but her creativity doesn’t stop at the classroom door. Recently, the longtime educator and artist brought her talents to Ponderosa Middle School, where she painted a large mural of the school’s bobcat logo, a piece which now stands as a bright symbol of Ponderosa pride.
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Spivey, who currently teaches at Klamath County School District, said she was contacted by Ponderosa Vice Principal Katey Limb ahead of the school year about the mural project. Limb has been familiar with Spivey's previous work, including a detailed pelican mural she painted last spring at Klamath Union High School and wanted to bring a similar creative touch to Ponderosa.
“I think Katey was really excited to start her career at Pondo and wanted to bring some new elements,” Spivey said. “She liked what I did at KU and asked if I’d be interested. I gave a couple of design options, and they decided to go with their school logo.”
Spivey has known Limb and her husband, Dean, for sometime. Spivey recalled her first mural being painted at Katey and Dean’s former gym they owned in Klamath Falls almost 10 years ago.
While the Ponderosa mural’s clean lines and symmetry make it appear simple, Spivey said it was one of her most technically challenging projects.
“It’s hard to paint circles and do lettering and it’s even harder on brick,” Spivey said. “I was really nervous, but I took it one step at a time. I even had to use a lot of math to figure out the circles and spacing. The bobcat head I freehanded, and I think it turned out okay.”
Balancing full-time teaching, her art business (Starry Night Studio), and family life meant Spivey worked on the mural across several weekends.
“Katey was really kind to work around my schedule,” she said. “I came in on a few Saturdays, about six hours each day. I think it took me three Saturdays in all.”
For Spivey, the Ponderosa project was heartfelt as she once attended Ponderosa as a student in 7th and 8th grade before her family moved to Bonanza.
“It’s really cool, one because I’m a teacher, and I love helping beautify schools,” Spivey said. “I think it makes a big difference. It helps with school pride and helps kids feel proud of where they go. It is for them to have a beautiful space and see their logo up on the wall.”
Spivey has painted nearly a dozen murals across Klamath Falls, from downtown to Sky Lakes Medical Center, but says schools remain her favorite canvas. Spivey has a love for both city and county school districts, she said, and has two of her children who currently attend Klamath Union.
“I’m proud of Klamath Falls and proud to raise my kids here,” Spivey said. “If there’s any space that allows me to do artwork, I’m just so pleased. But schools are my favorite place to paint.”
At KU, she painted a large pelican mural last year near Modoc Field as a gift from the class of 2025, a project led by students Andi Harmon, Jack and Wyatt Jensen, with the idea originating from Klamath Falls City Schools board member, Andrea Jensen.
“Andrea really saw the importance of beautifying the school,” Spivey said. “After we did the mural, we were already looking for other projects to do. It’s kind of like, you give a mouse a cookie.”
Between her classroom work, her art lessons for ages 5 through adult, and her mural projects, Spivey continues to build creative connections across the Klamath Basin.
“Klamath is such a small town and you just have connections everywhere. It’s special to be able to do something like this for the place where I grew up,” Spivey said. “I hope this mural will help inspire students at Ponderosa to take pride in their school and community. To not say they can’t but to encourage them to try new things.”
