ECCHS students take part in kindness art activity
Catholic Schools Week got underway at Elk County Catholic High School on Monday with students taking part in an art project focused on kindness.
Elk County Catholic High School art teacher Liz Scacchitti spearheaded the project, which was started by members of the senior and junior classes and then finished by the school's sophomores and freshmen.
“They're doing a collaborative project where we're taking character words of the word kindness – things like generosity, grace, compassionate – and we're going to put the words on their decorated backgrounds and hang them up in the hallways,” Scacchitti said.
The hope is that the project will help promote spreading kindness throughout Catholic Schools Week and beyond.
The seniors and juniors painted colorful backgrounds on large pieces of cardboard to begin the project. The sophomores and freshmen then took over to either finish coloring in the backgrounds or painting a different character word on each creation.
“If it doesn't get done today, we will continue it in art class,” Scacchitti said. “We'll do the backs, put the words on, and then eventually we'll have them hung up in the hallways.”
In addition to the collaborative projects, students also had the opportunity to make origami doves containing prayers of kindness which will be hung in the foyer area.
“Nobody needs to know what they are,” Scacchitti said of the prayers students wrote on the paper before folding the doves. “They're just something that they want to symbolize for hope and kindness.”
Scacchitti noted that “Kindness Matters” is the motto of the week for students at ECC, and her collaborative art project is one of several different activities students will be taking part in related to that theme.
“We're trying to do things that bring that energy in,” Scacchitti said.
Scacchitti added that she came up with the idea for the collaborative art project to allow all of the students to have the opportunity to enjoy an art-related activity.
“Some kids don't get to have art, so this is kind of my way of introducing myself to them, especially the ninth graders. Their schedules are pretty rigorous. They don't always get to put art in their schedules,” Scaccitti said.
ECC students are set to take part in a Kindness Rocks and Smiles activity today, and there will be a special activity day on Wednesday as Catholic Schools Week continues.