As a culminating experience to their studies in the Daniel Warren Wonder Studio on the topic of “Heroes – Real and Fantasy,” kindergarten through second grade students and all staff members gathered in their school’s multipurpose room on Dec. 10 to celebrate their own strengths.  

“Our celebration was about empowering students to see the potential they all have to be heroes in their community,” Principal Tara Goldberg said. “Each student and teacher wore their own cape, which they created and decorated with symbols that represented their strengths and interests.” 

During the assembly, members of each class marched up to the front of the room to showcase their capes to the applause of classmates and teachers. 

Goldberg said the students have been exploring heroes through contemporary stories and folktales to develop an understanding of what it means to be a hero. They looked at the virtues that heroes embody and examined symbols used on costumes and the meanings they hold. In addition, the students reflected on different questions, such as “Why do we have heroes?” “Why are heroes important?” and “Can a kid be a superhero?” 

“The students considered and wrote about ways they could use their own hero strengths for good,” librarian and media teacher Leigh Ann Kowalchick-Porphy said. 

As the study came to an end, the students participated in a hero training session and worked at stations that helped develop their perseverance, trust, teamwork and problem-solving.

A group of 70 talented art students in grades K-8 will have their artworks on display at the Mamaroneck Public Library’s Warner Gallery exhibit from Dec. 12, 2019, through Jan. 24, 2020. The diverse collection of student works will feature drawings, paintings, sculptures, collage and printmaking projects. 

Art teachers Trisha Appel, Jennifer Dallow, Karen Fontecchio and Dara Goodman, who organized the collection of works, said it was rewarding to provide their students with the opportunity to shine as their artworks are professionally displayed in a gallery setting. 

“It brings together the community as a whole and allows families, children and adults alike to see the amazing, creative work that our students do at Rye Neck,” Goodman said. “Our students show such growth and depth and breadth in their work. I am so proud and excited to be part of such an amazing art program that fosters a deep understanding and appreciation for artists, art movements and art techniques through the artmaking process.” 

Some of the students’ work was inspired by artists, such as Georges Braque, Dale Chihuly, Megan Coyle, Abbas Kiarostami, Peter Max and Michael Scott.

“It is important for student work to be showcased within the community since it creates a sense of pride that extends beyond the walls of the school,” Appel said. “The students were very excited to hear that their work was chosen. It also lets our students see how much we value the work they create by sharing it with the rest of the community.”