BCSD Kindergarten through Sixth Graders Enjoy Motivational Assembly

Slowly but surely, Fox Lane High School’s Mary Lou Meese Theater filled with an unexpected audience: third through fifth graders from the district’s elementary schools. Students called out and waved in excitement as friends from other schools filed in. They were there to watch a truly engaging and inspirational show called Emotion into Art.

“I first experienced Emotion into Art in another district many years ago, and it left a lasting impression on me,” said Dr. Stephanie Bell, Pound Ridge Elementary School’s principal.  “The performance was so powerful and inspiring that I knew I wanted to bring it to students of the Bedford Central School District. After a few years of effort and coordination, we were finally able to make it happen.”

Thanks to multiple assemblies, every kindergarten through sixth-grade student in the district had a chance to watch.

To start the experience, Dr. Bell introduced Tom Varano, an artist and public speaker whose show is a mix of storytelling, motivational speaking and speed painting of iconic figures.

Varano spoke to students about having dreams, setting goals and achieving them. His message was broken up with live painting sprints. While music interspersed with powerful inspirational speeches played, Varano painted portraits upside down on four-foot by five-foot canvases.

Each time Varano turned a canvas right side up and revealed who he had been painting, students erupted into cheers of excitement and recognition. His paintings included Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., the Statue of Liberty, Abraham Lincoln and Kobe Bryant.

Varano told stories from his own life as well as stories about the figures he painted.

After painting Dr. King, he asked students if they knew who he was. They answered with a resounding yes, many of them calling out his name.

“That’s right. That’s Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.,” Varano said. “People were mean to him. They yelled and spit in his face. They put him in prison 27 times.”

“What?!” a student cried out in disbelief.

“Yep, but he kept going,” Varano said. “He kept pursuing this thing we call a dream.”

When talking about Lincoln, Varano told students that he failed many times.

“But he kept at it,” he said. “He stayed focused. He had grit.”

He also spoke about how much time Bryant spent training, reiterating how important it is to keep at it and to pursue your goals with determination.

“Whatever you want to do, you can do it,” he said at the end of the assembly. “You just have to put in the work.”

Dr. Bell was thrilled to finally bring this event to our district.

“What makes this moment even more meaningful is that we didn’t just bring Emotion into Art to Pound Ridge Elementary School, we expanded the opportunity to all five elementary schools in the district, as well as the sixth grade at Fox Lane Middle School,” she said. “The combination of dynamic artistry and uplifting, positive messaging makes this program truly impactful and ensures it will be an unforgettable experience for our students.”