Teen draws all 411 classmates before graduating high school
A graduating high school senior honored his classmates by creating charcoal portraits of all 411 of his peers.
Phillip Sossou, 18, spent four months creating the drawings of his classmates at Boston Latin School in Massachusetts.
He was surprised that his project moved his classmates to tears.
"I just expected people to be like, 'Wow, that's a cool picture,' and be on their way," Sossou told NECN. "But what happened was a lot of people were crying."
Sossou said he hopes the project will bring the student body together.
“This will sort of bring about a sense of community. That’s definitely what we need right now because we’re really fractured," he said, referring to recent racial tensions at the school.
Sossou's teachers admired his diligence with the project.
“At one point, he was trying to do 16 pieces of work a day just to actually meet the 411 goal,” said art teacher Stephen Harris.
"Monday through Friday, I'd stay in school until about 3-8," said Sossou.
Each student will take his or her portrait home before graduation. Sossou plans to pursue a career in animation after attending Bunker Hill Community College.
What an amazing send off! Phillip Sossou '16 secretly created 400+ portraits of his fellow seniors and now they line the sr hallway! http://youtu.be/1T1eygMrQ3U Thank you Phillip!
Posted by Boston Latin School and Association on Friday, May 27, 2016
