Pupils honor Katrina victims through art
BY DAVE BENJAMIN
Staff Writer

Pupils at the Manalapan Englishtown Middle School, including (l-r) Gabriella Meiterman, Danielle Sibelman and Sarah Scafidi, created sculptures that expressed the emotions they felt for the victims of Hurricane Katrina.

MANALAPAN — The destruction and havoc caused by Hurricane Katrina in the Gulf Coast states will long be remembered by art students at the Manalapan Englishtown Middle School.

“When school reopened in September, the devastation from Katrina was all over the news,” said eighth-grade art teacher, Nancy Elphick. “It was still fresh in our minds.”

Although donations and fundraising efforts to benefit Katrina victims were still taking place, Elphick wanted her students to be able to express the empathy they felt for the victims through art.

“It did have such an emotional impact on all of us, that it became a good vehicle for a sculpture,” said Elphick, who has 32 years of experience in the field.

Elphick said she and her students initially talked about what they had seen in the media, the separation of families, the loss of their homes, the loss of life, the loss or separation of family pets, and the impact of simply trying to survive.

PHOTOS BY DAVE BENJAMIN

Students explored their emotional responses to devastation from the hurricane as well as other recent disasters.

“We witnessed how people helped each other whenever they could,” Elphick said. “We realized the importance of family and the bond between parent and child.”

All of this became a pool of information, feelings and thoughts from which to draw the images of personal interpretation and expression, which defined the objectives of the assignment, Elphick explained. The assignment was called “Expressive Clay Sculptures.”

Students expressed their feelings of sorrow, love, relationships, family and friendship as they created their clay sculptures, fired them in a kiln and finished their work with a bronze patina chosen for its simplicity and similarity of appearance to the monumental sculptures of Henry Moore, Elphick said.

Students were also influenced by the works of Michelangelo and others, as well as personal interpretations.

“We got a block of clay and a tool, [which we used to] mold the clay until it was soft,” said eighth-grader Gabriella Meiterman, explaining the process.

Gabriella, who created a sculpture of a mother holding her child in her hands, said she used a special glue to connect all the body parts together. Then the sculpture was painted black and a gold polish was added.

Eighth-grader Danielle Sibelman said her sculpture showed a dog being reunited with a person.

“A lot of people lost their houses and many items,” Danielle said, “but when they lose a pet or a family member, it leaves a lot bigger gap [in their lives] than if it were [things like] antiques or other items.”

Danielle said her sculpture represented how much it helped people to see and know that their animals were still alive.

“It shows how much happier [they were after the reunion],” she said. “It took away a lot [of the pain that people had, knowing] how much was destroyed.”

The eighth-grader said several of her friends and relatives knew people who lived where Katrina struck and were affected by the disaster. Knowing that made her feel bad, she said.

“But when they got their pets back, they were really happy about it,” said Danielle. “It helped them a lot to make it to where they are now.”

Eighth-grader Sarah Scafidi said her sculpture is “about hope and never giving up in life.”

Sarah said the girl in her sculpture is sad and the boys are there trying to comfort her.

“No matter what [happens] in life,” said Sarah, “there is always somebody there when the going gets tough. [You must remember], don’t give up.”

Sarah said she wants to be an artist when she gets older.

“I’m starting early,” she said. “I like to do murals. I’m doing one for my house right now in the computer room.”

Sarah said she liked the sculpture project because the students had the opportunity to choose what they wanted to do.

“We also had a better understanding of how our emotions work,” said Sarah. “It allowed our imaginations to explore.”

Many sculptures were on display in the MEMS showcase. On display were the works of Kerry Rubenstein, Nick Yuhas, Maegan Smith, Lauren Maskowitz, Igor Grosman, Jessica Furman, Shevaun O’Neill, James Stinemire, Moyukh Chatterjee.

And, Jesse Jarosz, Devin Alissio, Kim Gennaro, Jackie Calia, Dan Jenkins, Gerard Balsamo, Emily Morgan, Steven Compitello, Lindsay Caporrino, Cory Bolotsky, Mike Finazzo, Kevin Cruz, Amanda Figliolini, Michelle Bambara, Drew Regino, Peter Buttitta, Jenni Auilina, Andrew Touati, Emily Gutterson, Chelsea Bayard, Gabriella Meiterman, Danielle Sibelman and Sarah Scafidi.

MEMS Principal Robert Williams said, “Many of our students are artistically talented and the wonderful sculptures we have on display acknowledge their talents and their compassion for the hurricane victims and life.”

Dean of Students Kerry Marsala said, “These sculptures reveal talents that are not measured by standardized tests. The bronze-like finish chosen for this project truly makes these pieces stunning. But the real beauty is in the emotion that is portrayed even without detail.”

Assistant Principal Marge Long described the sculptures as absolutely wonderful, while teacher Kathy Whitney said looking at them “gave me chills,” and instructional aide Carol Koening felt the quality of the students’ work was so good that they could be in a museum.

That is exactly what Elphick is thinking.

“We’re hoping to send some along to the Monmouth Museum when they showcase student artwork in March,” the art teacher said.