Minuteman High Students Design Materials For Cancer Fundraiser

LEXINGTON, MA — For the fourth consecutive year, students in the Design and Visual Communications program at Minuteman High School in Lexington have created publicity materials for an a cappella event that will honor an Arlington teenager who lost her life to sarcoma and raise awareness and money to fight this rare form of cancer.

Minuteman juniors designed and printed postcards, tickets, sandwich board signs, and the event program for the A CATpella Festival to Belt Out Cancer on Friday at 7:00 p.m. at Arlington High School.

The occasion honors Catherine “Cat” Malatesta (shown above), a 16-year-old who attended Arlington High School and 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).

“The A CATpella event provides students the opportunity to work directly with a client and design materials that visually communicate a specific message,” said Maria Galante, a design and visual communications instructor at Minuteman. “The entire experience fosters teamwork that is similar to working in a design agency.”

Angelina Amico, a junior from Stow, shared how the project has been valuable to her.

“Designing for aCATpella challenged my fellow classmates and I to work better together as a team,” Amico said. “I am proud of all the effort that was put into such an amazing project. The final product captures the memory honoring the young woman who inspired this event.”

Jennifer Goodwin, Catherine's mother, and the event organizer, explained how the effort from the Minuteman students helps tie the event together.

“The beautiful design and print work that the Minuteman students produce continues to elevate the look and feel of the a CATpella Festival to Belt Out Cancer,” said Goodwin, “The creativity and professionalism of the students is an absolute dream. They listen, they create and the end product not only is a very effective marketing tool for the event but also a window into the creative mind of a teenager working to support Catherine's memory and this fantastic cause. We continue to be so grateful for this four-year partnership.”