ARTS
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Wright & wave goodbye to Staples Eskell
Just a step from the school’s entrance or a short walk from the cafe are the unmistakable walls of the art department showcasing an eclectic blend of student works, informative decorations and promotional posters. These halls house a family of seven art teachers, but now two long-standing art education teachers are waving goodbye: art teacher Tracy Wright and drawing teacher Camille Eskell.
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skell has taught at Staples AP Drawing. Her students apenergy to her students, workfor 21 years: one of the first preciate how Eskell’s unique ing to provide the resourcCreative Director two art teachers to move character colors each class. es her students need to ful“I think she’s very iconic,” fill their creative visions. into the new art wing built, she Sophie Fridland ’22, a current AP “She allows me to have a lot has had the unique opportuniDrawing stuof creative freedom,” Zoe Finger ty to teach dent, said. “Ev’23, a student of Wright’s, said. her students right describes herself “She lets me try out some new from fresh- “The students eryone that has as a “low-key” person, techniques as well as work with man to se- always do recently graduated Staples year, extremely well techniques nior but her presand that have that I don’t w a t c h i n g coming out of her ence resonates “She just [has] a even graduatusually use, them grow t h r o u g h o u t can-do type of ed college, they artists class,” and it has as the art departknow who she helped me and people. -Steve Zimmerman ment. She tru- attitude with “I see Staples Coordinator of Music and is if they’ve takgrow as ly is a teacher everything,” Visual Arts en drawing, and rean artist.” them for all art, takthey always have blos-Steve Zimmerman Z i m - ally ing on classStaples Coordinator of Music and m e r m a n som from, I call them bubble good things to say about her.” Visual Arts es across the Staples Coordinator of Music says it will heads, from Drawing I,” Eskell board from and Visual Arts Steve Zimmerbe hard to said with a laugh, referring to Watercolor and Painting Big, to replace Wright, not only for the circular heads many new man observed how Eskell keeps Ceramics and Jewelry-Making. her flexibility and her wide- artists draw when sketching her curricula from going stale Despite the difficulty of spread presence through the art people, “to incredible draw- despite teaching for longer than teaching various mediums department, but for her warm ings in junior and senior year.” her students have been alive, and throughout the day, during her and adventurous personality. Over her time at Staples, how her personal brand of humor 14 years at Staples, Wright has “I wish everyone in the Eskell developed the drawing can lighten stressful situations. carried on with her quiet, steady Staples community the very program from an introduc“The students always do skill. When there were more sec- best,” Wright wrote, “and I tory and advanced drawing extremely well coming out of tions of Graphic Design I than will miss being a part of it!” course to include Honors and her class,” Zimmerman said. teachers, she stepped up to the “I think it’s a testament to plate to take on the job. Wright the fact that she sees every to by Lilly learned the material in the graphstudent as a capable artist.” P ho ic design class taught by her coOnce she retires, Eskell anworker, Carla Eichler, the day beticipates the increase in free time fore, planned her lesson at night she’ll have for her own personal and came into school ready to art, such as a series of pieces exteach her students the next day. ploring her cultural backgrounds “She just [has] a can-do type as an Iraqi Jew from India. Howof attitude with everything,” ever, Eskell will miss the warm Staples Coordinator of Muenvironment of the art room sic and Visual Arts Steve Zimshe’s taught in for two decades. merman said. “That’s a huge “The interaction with the thing when you’re trying to FOND FAREWELL Art teachers Tracy Wright (left) and students, that’s probably the reach every child and every stu- Camille Eskell (right) will be retiring after years of leading most important thing,” Eskell dent who comes through here.” several art classes, including Graphic Design, Drawing, said, “because that’s what we Wright brings this same Jewelry and many others. [art teachers] really are here for.”
Lilly Weisz ’23
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