Minuteman High School students use their design skills to publicize "A CATpella Festival to Belt Out Cancer"

By Judy Bass

Students in the Design and Visual Communications program at Minuteman High School in Lexington recently created publicity materials for an event that will serve two noteworthy purposes - honoring an Arlington teen who lost her life to sarcoma and raising awareness and money to fight this rare form of cancer.

Several juniors designed and printed postcards, tickets, sandwich board signs and the event program for “A CATpella Festival to Belt Out Cancer,” which will be held on Friday, January 20, 2017 at Arlington High School. The occasion will honor Catherine “Cat” Malatesta, a 16-year-old girl from Arlington who lost her battle with sarcoma in 2015 less than a year after being diagnosed with the disease. All proceeds will benefit the Sarcoma Foundation of America (SFA) and the Catherine J. Malatesta Scholarship Fund.

According to Minuteman Design and Visual Communications teacher Maria Galante, the event organizers - Catherine’s mother, Jennifer Goodwin, and Dawn Terry - met with Minuteman juniors in DVC (some of whom knew Catherine) so they could gather information and start brainstorming. Then, the class broke down into smaller groups to create each item.

The participating students were Lili Allen, Christopher Cercone, Nicholas Cinganelli, Lucille Couet, Charles Garvey, Melanie Hennessey, Sydney Kindle, Timothy Meridal, James O’Connell, John Ross, Emari Scott, Andre Scotto, Mariana Torres-Roman, Ryan Vail and Hailie Wentworth.

Ms. Galante felt that the students learned a great deal from this project. “They had the opportunity to share their technical skill in a way that helps support their community while they are provided with an experience that represents what happens every day in the industry. As a teacher, I’m always grateful when I see students working with the community as designers, illustrators, photographers, video editors, animators, or whatever it is they’re on their way to becoming. It means the world to me when I see students pursuing their passion while helping others.”

One of the students involved, Sydney Kindle, expressed her enthusiasm for the project: “The clients were great to work with and working with them to create something was awesome.”

Catherine’s mother, Ms. Goodwin, voiced her appreciation for the efforts of the Minuteman students and their teacher. "The partnership between the A CATpella Festival Committee and the junior students in the Design and Visual Communications program has been fantastic. The promotional materials that the class produced are beautiful and have been received with much enthusiasm. Catherine was 16 when she died. She would love that her peers designed these materials. We are so thankful to have found Ms. Galante and Minuteman High School. What a resource in our community!"

Minuteman was established in the 1970s as one of more than two dozen regional-vocational technical high schools in Massachusetts. Over the years, the school has distinguished itself by building a reputation for excellence. Minuteman students consistently excel on the larger stage and have won numerous awards at state and national competitions. Minuteman challenges all students to revolutionize their high school expectations by aspiring to their full potential, accelerating their learning, and achieving success in the 21st-century global community.