THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, January 13, 1995 TAG: 9501110102
SECTION: CHESAPEAKE CLIPPER PAGE: 03 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY JANELLE LA BOUVE, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Long : 105 lines
IT WAS mid-November when a representative of Sentara Health System contacted Kathleen Hendrix, art teacher at B.M. Williams Primary School, seeking a student holiday drawing to use on its company Christmas cards.
The instructions were simple. Use Magic Markers on white paper because that combination makes for good reproduction.
Right away, Hendrix took the assignment to her six first- and second-grade art classes at the school.
``That was quite a bit before Christmas,'' Hendrix said. ``The children weren't even thinking Christmas yet. I didn't give them a lot of ideas as I normally do.''
But she spent a whole day working with her classes on the project. There must have been a bit of the competitive spirit in the air because the children worked like beavers. By the end of the day, she had collected about 150 drawings.
``I got some really good designs,'' she said with enthusiasm. ``There were so many fantastic ones. They were so cute.''
Hendrix chose 30 or 35 of the best designs and sent them to Sentara. The winning drawing was done was James Michalisko - a second-grader.
``This marks James as a child who has a talent in art,'' Hendrix said. ``I think he knows he's special now. He'll never forget this. That's why I'm here (teaching art) because somebody noticed my artwork when I was little. That was my special thing.
``They picked James, I think, because he showed the inside and the outside of the house.''
For Sentara, it was all the detail that set James' art apart from the rest.
The drawing included a bracket on the wall from which hung Christmas stockings. Wrapped gifts with colorful bows were under a tall Christmas tree with a large yellow star on top. A picture hangs from a nail on the wall. What looks like a chair is perched near a TV set with an antenna on top.
Outside, above black smoke billowing from the chimney, even Santa's black belt is obvious atop his red suit. The jolly old elf's sleigh has a clearly visible runner. And he's holding the reins to three reindeer with long antlers. The lead animal's red nose indicates that James wanted him to be Rudolph.
``He did a wonderful a job,'' said Sandy West, Sentara Health System's production manager. ``We thought he was very observant, very perceptive for his age. He was just very observant to have included all those things. It was a really fresh, cute picture of a happy home just waiting for Christmas.
``He seemed very thrilled with the fact that he had won,'' West said. ``He was very pleased to be able to have his picture on the card. He even indicated that he might want to push through with a career in art.
B.M. Williams is one of Sentara's 16 Adopt-A-Schools scattered throughout Hampton Roads. Using student artwork to adorn their Christmas cards is a yearly project.
``We try to spread it around, so we're not choosing a school from the same city every year,'' West said. ``This year, we were pleased to use Chesapeake. We try to utilize the art from one of our Adopt-A-Schools rather than have one of our graphic artists design a card. The mentorship program is very important to Sentara.''
During the school's Christmas program, West presented a framed blown-up version of the card with his own drawing on the front to James from Sentara. In fact, all of the children whose drawings were entered received certificates. The school received complimentary cards as well.
It took James about 30 minutes to complete his prize drawing.
``I was very happy about winning,'' said James, 8.
In his soft little voice, James talked about drawing.
``I like Santa and Rudolph,'' James said. ``I like when we wake up on Christmas morning and see presents. So that's what I drew.''
He also likes to draw bones and extinct animals.
``I do a good job of drawing all kinds of dinosaurs because I know a lot about them,'' he said. ``I usually like to draw ships and things that I make up in my imagination, like four-headed monsters. I think maybe I will be an archaeologist that studies dinosaurs.''
According to his dad, James does a good job of drawing ships, too.
``The thing that amazes me most is the detail he remembers,'' said Mark Michalisko, who is in the Navy. ``James just draws things right out of his head. I could probably count the times he has seen an aircraft carrier. But when he draws them, he'll draw the island with all the numbers on it and the radar antenna and the masts for the flag pole. He knows it's part of a battle group. So he'll draw a submarine under the ship. He'll draw in the fish under the sea.
``He likes mostly to make gifts for people,'' Michalisko said. ``That's how he got started drawing. He's a generous person. He gives most of his art away. He loves to make things for his relatives.
``He also likes to make his art to sell,'' his father said proudly. ``If he combines his drawing talent and his ability for selling, he'll be an ad executive.''
``He's good at writing stories and has a very creative imagination,'' said his second-grade teacher, Denise Nicely. ``He has a lot of talent in the creative manner. He does well in all of his subjects. He does doodle. But that's what he likes to do, and we have to kind of blend him in there.'' ILLUSTRATION: Staff photo by STEVE EARLEY
Sentara Health System picked James Michalisko's art for its 1994
Christmas card.
The winning artwork was noticed by judges for its attention to
detail.
by CNB