By Michelle Allen
In Hesperia, Michigan—a town stitched together by generations of legacy, labor, and love—educator and artist Monica Smith Grimard has spent her life using creativity to spark connection and change. Her work, most visibly reflected in the Reclaimed Beauty mural, is not simply artistic—it’s ancestral, activist, and deeply communal. Monica’s journey weaves together family history, educational passion, artistic courage, and an unflinching commitment to advocacy.
🌾 Rooted in Community Monica’s story begins where so many Midwest legacies do—on the family farm. Both of her parents graduated from Hesperia High School, with her dad’s family working the land and her mother’s side running the beloved local business Bob’s Drugs. The marriage of Paula Slate and Gerald Smith in 1968 began a lineage of service and connection, punctuated by Gerald’s deployment to Vietnam and their eventual return to raise two daughters in the close-knit community.
“I grew up with many cousins and weekly Sunday dinners on the farm,” Monica recalls. “I was one of the youngest on my dad’s side and one of the oldest on my mom’s. That taught me how to care and be cared for, how to compromise, and how to resolve conflict. It also made me fiercely independent.”
Her extended family formed a vast web across Hesperia—siblings, aunts, uncles, and cousins nearby—all shaping Monica’s values of collaboration and responsibility.
📚 Education Was in Her Blood Few families have shaped the Hesperia school system as deeply as the Smiths. Monica’s father Jerry was a beloved teacher, her aunt Marlene Kolbe Caniff served as school secretary, and her uncle Ken Smith Jr. headed maintenance. Her grandfather Bob Slate and uncle Gary Slate sat on the school board. “Being part of the Hesperia School Community was in my blood,” Monica says.
Although she began her college journey at Grand Valley State University intending to pursue law, she gravitated back to education—ultimately focusing on Social Studies, Psychology, and Elementary Education, following the same passions as her father.
Her first classroom in 1996 sat right next to his. “We teamed up on art projects from the start,” she remembers, launching what would become a decades-long mission to bring art into a system where it was underrepresented.
🎨 From Teacher to Art Advocate Through team teaching, grant writing, and collaborative projects, Monica brought creativity into classrooms in small but significant ways. “Our students were missing formal art programs,” she explains. “So I started Art on a Cart during Youth Arts Month, writing grants for supplies and inviting guest artists with help from the Fremont Area Foundation and Arts Place.”
She didn’t originally see herself as an artist. In fact, she never took art in high school. “I thought you had to be extremely talented or not care about your grades,” she laughs. But college changed that—first through Art History and then through an art course for elementary educators. Alongside her daughters Ceara and Aria’s natural talents, Monica began to believe more in the power of teaching art through practice rather than perfection.
🤝 Family and Community Collaboration Monica’s impact radiates outward—but it’s held firmly together by her partnership with husband Anthony (Tony) Grimard, a former teacher, coach, and athletic director turned digital creator and Director of The Wildlife Center at Legends Ranch. Together, they have coached, collaborated, and cared for countless students and causes.
“We both appreciate art and how it intersects with culture and history,” Monica shares. “We’ve worked on projects together for years—from volleyball teams to community education. Now Tony continues his service through conservation efforts, veterans outreach, and fundraisers like Wild Game Dinners.”
🖌️ Reclaimed Beauty: A Mural With Heart The Reclaimed Beauty mural was Monica’s boldest artistic undertaking—a community-led piece through the HesperiART program that transformed her quiet belief in creativity into a public declaration.
“I was nervous,” she admits. “But I’ve always felt our students deserved more exposure to the arts. And I knew I wasn’t the one to do it alone—the best way to have community art is to let the community make it.”
From brush to wall, Monica rallied support, students, and volunteers to turn blank space into brilliance. “I hope this project inspires more appreciation for art,” she says, “and builds pride and respect for our community.”
🏅 Artistic Legacy Across the Village Her impact doesn’t end with one mural. Monica’s artistry lives in many places:
- The Arch sculpture in Webster Park, created through a grant she secured with artist Cara O’Brien
- Fish and Tree Auctions with Mark Tozer and others, raising funds for elementary art
- Paper Mâché Giving Tree still standing strong in the elementary library
- Mama Panther and Cub mural created with students and artist Jane Stroschin
- Mosaic mural outside the elementary office—her first large-scale grant project, shaped with Deb Emerick, Emily Pearson, and community volunteers,
💜 Volley Against Violence: From Pain to Purpose Monica’s passion for community didn’t stop at art. In 2012, she co-founded Volley Against Violence with Coach Joan David—a county-wide initiative educating youth about early warning signs of unhealthy relationships and dating violence.
“It was personal,” she shares. “I had come out of a domestic violence situation myself, one I hadn’t seen coming but knew I had to leave—for my kids and for myself. I didn’t want anyone else to experience that pain.”
With support from WISE (the local women’s shelter), Monica turned volleyball tournaments into platforms for education and advocacy. From posters to purple beads to candlelit vigils, the campaign grew to include schools in Newaygo, Mecosta, and Osceola counties. In 2013, grants from the Fremont Foundation helped expand VAV’s reach. Even COVID couldn’t stop the movement—it simply reshaped it across multiple venues.
🎥 One of the most powerful moments came when student Ana Klimovitz led the volleyball team in creating videos for Domestic Violence Awareness Month. Their activism blossomed into deeper work—honoring Lori Vargas, the mother of former player Dana Arnold, who was tragically killed in 2015. The tournament was renamed in her memory, and lantern ceremonies have followed in solemn tribute (See video link below).
This past year, Panther Volleyball partnered with Oceana County teams and donated half of tournament proceeds to COVE, Oceana’s domestic violence shelter—ensuring the impact continues to ripple outward.
🏪 Local Legacy: The Businesses Behind the Bonds Monica’s story is stitched into Hesperia’s very fabric—not only through her family’s contributions to education and the arts, but also through the businesses that defined its downtown pulse. Her mother’s store, Jeans n’ Things, once a vibrant part of Hesperia’s commercial life, stands as a cherished memory of local entrepreneurship. Monica spent time working there early on, absorbing lessons in service, style, and community connection. Alongside Bob’s Drugs, also part of her maternal lineage, these shops reflect the enduring impact of both the Slate and Smith families—each deeply woven into the town’s development and school leadership.
Throughout her years as an educator and coach, Monica built bridges with many of Hesperia’s small businesses—many of which uplifted and supported her community projects and student-led initiatives.
Each has played a role—from supporting events and projects to being the backdrop of Monica’s everyday impact.
🌻 What She Teaches Through Art Monica encourages students to use their creativity to inspire change by exploring influential artists and joining her in community projects. “I try to model art that makes a difference,” she says. “And when they see that change is possible through creativity, they begin to believe in their own voices.”
👩🏫 Living Many Roles, Giving Her All Balancing the titles of teacher, coach, wife, mother, and grandmother hasn’t been easy. “If I take on something, I have to give it my whole self,” Monica shares. “That takes from the balance.” But it’s also brought her family into the journey—her daughters supporting her projects, coaching volleyball, and following in her footsteps of service.
💬 A Final Message to Young Women For those hoping to create change in Hesperia, Monica offers this: “You have to be confident in your abilities and not doubt yourself. People will believe in you more if you believe in yourself.”
🤝 Pride in People, Hope in Color Looking back, Monica doesn’t count accomplishments in trophies or titles. “What I’m proud of most are the relationships,” she says. “That people see me as a trusted mentor and friend. That means everything to me.”
Her hopes for Hesperia’s future echo through every brushstroke: more art, more access, more programs to lift young voices. And if you look closely, you’ll find her work in every corner—from gymnasiums to galleries, classrooms to community walls.
Thank you, Monica, for painting a legacy of compassion, courage, and community. Reclaimed Beauty is not only a mural—it is the spirit of Hesperia reclaimed, one heart at a time.
🕊️ Michelle Allen 📖 echoesofthewillow.com
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