Away from school: comics, musical theater and painting denim
Every month, the Larchmont Chronicle gives readers a chance to find out what’s going on at local schools. This month, we thought we would take a moment to give you a glimpse of how some area kids spend their time away from school. Enjoy!
SASHA BOGOSIAN painting.
Sasha Bogosian, 14, whose family has lived in Larchmont Village for 12 years, raises funds for the art therapy program at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles.
The teen, who has lived with cerebral palsy since birth, began painting denim as art therapy and as a fun craft. She came up with the idea to give back to her community and, for a donation, will hand-paint jeans and other denim items.
In six years, she has raised more than $60,000. Bogosian is featured in a new children’s book, “Young Change Makers — Heroic Kids.” To learn more about her or to purchase Sasha’s denim art, visit: thesashaprojectla.org.
EMERSON KELLY, comic strip artist at Larchmont Charter Hollygrove.
Emerson Kelly, 9, a student at Larchmont Charter Hollygrove, spends much of his free time drawing comic strips.
His inspiration — the graphic novels he loves to read. “I like them all!” he says. Kelly specializes in superhero comics, which he draws in black and white.
Two of his strips feature characters of which he is the secret identity; Power Boy and Chunky Chain, a character who carries a chain of hotdogs for use against bad guys.
COMIC STRIP drawn by Emerson Kelly.
For now, the fourth-grader displays his work on a big board in his bedroom. But Kelly hopes to write and draw graphic novels as a career when he’s older.
Lucy Gleim, a sixth grade student at Hollywood Schoolhouse, has a passion for musical theater, singing and giving back to her community. Gleim has been doing musical theater since the age of 4 and says, “Singing has always been a way to express myself. Acting is telling a story… [and] when I’m memorizing my lines, I feel accomplished and confident.” The young thespian has been in more than 12 productions at Youth Academy of Dramatic Arts, and hopes to continue pursuing musical theater as she grows.
LUCY GLEIM, sixth grader at Hollywood Schoolhouse.
On the community service side, Gleim worked with her school doing student-led lemonade stands and extra chores, as well as decorating bottles to serve as coin-collecting devices for their goal of raising $21,000 to help build new water wells in Malawi through Water for Africa. She also volunteers at Goodwill sorting and organizing donations. She says, “My whole family feels so proud, glad and happy to help other people in the world.”
These three young people are a good example of the interesting, dedicated youth in our area. This community is full of kids discovering and delving into their passions and sharing their gifts with the world.
Category: Entertainment
