Batavia art teacher brings national public art campaign to Rotolo Middle School

A Batavia art teacher has brought #WhyYouMatter, a national school-wide public art campaign that empowers students to love and appreciate themselves and others while fostering a positive school climate where all people feel safe, supported and valued, to Rotolo Middle School, according to a news release from the district.

Teacher Jenna McKnight worked with students and staff to create a photo wall in the school for #WhyYouMatter’s founding project. The public art campaign features a display for 11x17 black and white photos of students along with the students’ responses to the question “why do you matter?”

According to the release, some of the students’ responses included: “I matter because: my friends depend on me”, “I make people smile” and “I inspire others to work hard.”

“I saw the idea and I immediately thought that we should do it at the middle school,” McKnight stated in the release. “I wanted to do it to really let students know that they matter. They are amazing humans that are different in their own way and bring so much light to this school, community and world. They have so much to offer. I also wanted others to take a second to think about what their peers are feeling or going through. It is so important to choose to know more about those around us so that we can be empathetic and make the world a better place.”