Colors and patterns swirl together forming something quite intriguing. Half skeleton, half human. Not what might be expected on a classroom wall.

Then again, Mr. Herbert, the man behind all of this, isn’t necessarily your typical teacher.

Herbert teaches anatomy and physiology here at Dallastown.

He attended Messiah College, where he was a double major studying art and biology. With those degrees, he continued to graduate school at Johns Hopkins for Medical and Biological Illustration.

Herbert had always enjoyed art and biology so this major seemed like a great fit for him. His interest began with his mother’s drawings.

“My mom used to draw for me to keep me quiet in church,” he says.

At a younger age, art was one of his favorite things. He now claims that he doesn’t even know if he likes it.

“I don’t even know if I enjoy it. It just happens,” Herbert says.

Herbert found himself teaching after the only available medical illustrator  positions for medical illustrators were in Saudi Arabia and Texas.

Although he had not originally intended to be a teacher, Herbert has no regrets.

Being a teacher, he enjoys the new content each day holds and the fact that if he ever misses art, he can always do it for fun.

As a matter of fact, Herbert has painted two full walls of murals related to his class.

“I painted that majority of it myself with some help on the background from students,” he says.

Some of Herbert’s favorite days working on the mural came on Sundays with visits from his mom to keep him company while he worked.

The back wall portrays the biology side of his teaching, while the side wall displays the anatomical side.

Blue skies, clouds, and trees in a perfect scene of nature decorate the back wall of his classroom.

As for the sidewall, his teaching is brought to life, literally.

Anatomical structures exhibiting the nerves, muscles, and bones in the body fill the wall.

“Mr. Herbert’s paintings are a great visual tool for learning. Depending on what he is teaching, he references them which really helps paint a clear picture in my mind,” senior Jake Plowman says.

The paintings required a multitude of Google research and sketches. With the help of a few students, his plain, boring walls were transformed almost two full summer vacations later.

Along with decorating his room, he loves doing different types of art outside of the school environment.

“Sometimes I paint plastic model kits, but not much else. I’m more into making things out of weird junk I buy at auctions,” Herbert says.

Once retired, Herbert sees himself owning a small studio or shop and selling his creations online.

For now, Herbert plans to stick to teaching and although he has many more hopes and dreams for his walls, he has no more empty space in the room.