On March 6th, Kenmore West High School students attended a special presentation from one of their own: art teacher Richard Tomasello!
Mr. Tomasello is a longtime artist who has been exhibiting his artwork locally, regionally, and nationally since 2011. His latest exhibition, "CHOOSE" was the focus of the morning assembly.
"When I was in college, I was beaten by six men in a bar," Tomasello said. "A lot of the art that I make can be traced back to that event in some way. It's about the difference between being a bystander and being an upstander."
The purpose of CHOOSE is about taking a traumatic event and turning it into something positive, which is something Tomasello has done with his art. He teaches students to talk about their feelings and know it's okay to be sympathetic and empathetic towards others.
"CHOOSE is an anti-bullying presentation through the lens of art and creativity, without calling it an anti-bullying presentation," Tomasello said. "It's all about waking up each day and deciding what kind of person you're going to be.
"When I was in college, I was beaten by six men in a bar," Tomasello said. "A lot of the art that I make can be traced back to that event in some way. It's about the difference between being a bystander and being an upstander."
Each group of students went to the auditorium to view some of Tomasello's work and hear the story behind his latest exhibition. In the classroom, they participated in a hands-on activity that involved index cards and a black marker. Each student got an index card and chose to write/draw one of the following: a negative experience where they were picked on, a positive experience where they helped someone or someone helped them, an image that reflects their feelings about a particular experience, choosing one word that describes how they are currently feeling, OR drawing/writing about what it means to choose what type of person they want to be.
In a few weeks, the index cards will be used to create a large-scale piece of art to be displayed in the school.
We can't thank Mr. Tomasello enough for giving our Kenmore West students such a thought-provoking and meaningful presentation!
