(Right to left) Michelle Despres, Maya Vogt, Kayla Talcoff, Hanna Levy, Izzy Mersky, and Helena Zhang with their sculpture, 'SPEAK!'
Needham High School Art 3 Accelerated students Michelle Despres, Maya Vogt, Kayla Talcoff, Hanna Levy, Izzy Mersky, and Helena Zhang recently set out to make a sculpture that would have lasting impact for future generations in the high school.
They created a life-sized relief sculpture that they based on the all-school-read book, "The Hate U Give," by Angie Thomas. They wanted their message to be timeless, and with the help of Principal Aaron Sicotte, a generous NHS PTC grant, and their teacher, Linda Burke, they did just that. The sculpture is called "SPEAK!", and it symbolizes helping individuals to find the courage to be themselves, to point out injustice, and to speak up if they don’t feel they have the power to do so. The sculpture is made of plaster gauze, wood, acrylic paint, string and wire and is located in the 400 hallway of the high school.
