Ossining High School Students Create Artwork to Honor Veterans

A map of Vietnam superimposed on an American flag alongside a current photo of a veteran and an American Legion patch. A painting of a veteran skiing in Italy with the 10th Mountain Division during World War II.

Those were some of the pieces of artwork local veterans received after sharing their experiences in the military with Ossining High School students. The students gave veterans the paintings, photos and graphic design projects during the 3rd Annual Living History Veterans Project presentation at the school last week.

The veterans met with students in April. The artists then had two weeks to create projects that told those stories. The veterans brought medals, photographs, letters, surplus kits, uniforms and other items they had received during their service. Nine veterans participated, including one remotely from Florida.

“It is a very emotional, yet satisfying, event where the veterans feel thankful that the students took the time to recognize them,” said Ron Whitehead, an art teacher at Ossining High School and a Gulf War veteran. “The overall lesson in this project is that people should use their talents to help others.”

Vietnam War veteran Robert Ferguson of Mahopac, who has participated in the project for three years, said it’s amazing what the students can create and the insight they have, he said.

“Ossining High School has completely wrapped their arms around the veterans and there’s a comfort zone here,” he said.

The other art teachers whose students participated include Harry Quiroga, who helped Whitehead develop the program; Sanam Shams; Stephanie Chase; and Cedric Lucas.

Seniors Robert Cafarelli and Jason Zhizhpon created a short film about Vietnam veteran Robert Somerville of Ossining. Robert Cafarelli said it was challenging to do justice to Somerville’s story. “It’s hard to piece together and make it as good as it could be,” he said.

Student Gabriel Lucero’s artwork included black-and-white photos of Somerville holding his dog tags, along with photos of his medals and ships like the ones he served on while in the U.S. Navy. Across the top, Gabriel printed, “13 months on river boats, 2 years on a destroyer escort, lifetime of giving back.”

Having the veterans visit and talk to students “helped me realize what you guys go through,” Gabriel said.

After learning from Vietnam veteran Bill Smith that not every day during the war was a bad one, Yessenia Rojas created a painting of Smith looking out on the Vietnam River.

Smith, who lives in Peekskill, said he was treated so poorly after returning from the war, and he thinks some people still hate Vietnam veterans. What Ossining High School does for veterans is “fantastic,” he said.

“Everybody really made me feel welcome. It felt like it was coming from the heart,” he said.