Story and photos by Lisa Carolin
Some Beach Middle School students have been creating their own comic book pages since the new year began. They’re participating in a series of SRSLY workshops taking place on Mondays and Wednesdays at the Washington Street Education Center.
Jerzy Drozd, cartoonist for CPTN SRSLY and the Super Master Sentinels comic book series, is running the workshops, teaching kids how to make their own comic book stories.
“We’ve done five of these books so far, and students are creating the next chapter,” said Drozd. “They have come up with their own story lines and characters.”
CPTN SRSLY and the Super Master Sentinels is an adventure series teaching positive social values. Students are also learning the building blocks of cartooning as taught by Drozd – shape, size, line and color.
“I’ve always wanted to do this,” said sixth-grader Timorthy McGarry. “This is the first time I’ve ever been an author.”
“It’s fun because it’s a way to get to draw,” said Sophie Bugale, also a sixth-grader.
The students’ pages will be printed and distributed at a book signing event in March.
“In a small town like Chelsea, it’s an incredible opportunity to attend a free workshop facilitated by amazing talent like cartoonist Jerzy Drozd,” said Jesse Kauffman, program coordinator for SRSLY. “Inviting kids to pursue their creative and artistic interests and then celebrating them when they do -that’s youth empowerment at its best.”
The workshop is funded by the Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs with matching funds from the Chelsea Wellness Foundation, Chelsea Kiwanis Club, the Rotary Club of Chelsea, and SRSLY‘s locally raised funds.
“To coincide with March is Reading Month, we’ll be distributing more CPTN SRSLY comic books to students at North Creek and South Meadows,” said Kauffman.
Upcoming SRSLY events include the group’s third annual Duct Tape Fashion Show on Feb. 19 at Beach Middle School.
