Throughout October, the whiteboard near the kitchen area of the Academic Enrichment Center has become a living comic strip panel.
Chase Wood, a senior at Westerville North High School who attends the Educational Options for Success (EOS) program, sketches drawings inspired by Halloween-themed jokes in hopes of bringing levity to the roughly 100 students and 14 staff members at the center:
How do you repair a broken Jack O’Lantern? You use a pumpkin patch.
What did the demon eat for breakfast? Deviled eggs.
My cell phone doesn’t have service here. I guess you could call it the dead zone.
“It’s really made me connect with a lot more people,” he said. “They’ll see me drawing and I’ll get nice feedback and I’ll get a lot of ideas.”
EOS English teacher Amy Anglin proposed the project to Wood, inviting him to create art to accompany jokes to share with everyone at the center throughout the month. Wood embraced the opportunity, asking teachers about jokes they’d like to see and mapping out the sketches each week.
While the art project has been a great outlet for Wood, he said he gets greater satisfaction knowing that it’s bringing people together.
“We are very fortunate that Chase is willing to share his artistic talents with the EOS community,” said Nick McIlwain, director of Assessment and Alternative Education. “The students and staff love seeing the artwork and the jokes always make us smile.”