*Teacher: Photography and Art*
By: Morgan Blechschmid and Danielle Shehee
January 15, 2021
Mr. Christopher Kaspar is a Photography and Art teacher here at Brooklyn High School. One of the classes that he teaches is a Murals Art class in which students are shown how to paint murals. Their hard work is always displayed on the walls of classrooms and offices around the high school, including in our very own Mr. Holko’s room (sports paintings). Kaspar is known for not only being a teacher but for being in charge of our theater program’s crew ensemble as well. Kaspar and the crew work months at a time to set up, build, and prepare the sets for the Spring plays performed in the auditorium. Because of his talents and expertise, Mr. Kaspar was chosen for this week’s staff profile.
Q: What made you want to be in charge of the crew?
A: “I was asked if I had any experience with theater set design when I was first hired. I said, ‘Sure!’ In that, I worked as a crew member for a production company in downtown Cleveland. We started with four students, and now, we cap it around 30.”
Q: How do you deal with a stressful situation, whether that be with the crew or just in general as a teacher?
A: “I just try to plow through it. With 20 years of experience in the crew, I have come to see a lot. The hardest time was to pull together all the students and put on the only production of Newsies (last year when the pandemic hit). I had a job to do, and it was very difficult, but I did what I had to do. We got it done.”
Q: How has the pandemic affected the crew and your students who do theater?
A: “We had to stop recruiting for new members this year. We took in a few people from the theater class, but that was it. We also have had to break the groups into small pods where we ask for just a few people to come on a particular day.”
Q: What is your favorite subject to teach?
A: “Math.” {Editor’s note: I believe there is a touch of sarcasm with this answer.}
Q: What inspired you to become an art teacher?
A: “I knew that I wanted to be around art from early on in life. My goal was to go to art college, move to New York, and become a famous artist. When reality hit and I needed a job, I worked as a photographer, and I taught at the Beck Center in Lakewood. After that, I got the teaching bug. I went back to Cleveland State for my teaching license, and the rest is history.”
Q: What impact do you feel like you’ve made on your students and their art and photography skills?
A: “This is hard to tell. There have been times where my classes are appreciated as a break in the day. Others have gone on to art school or started their own photography business. So, I like to think that I make a positive impact.”
Q: What is your favorite memory from the crew?
A: “It is always the same. Saturday night at the closing curtain. All the stress, all the excitement, all the work, all the pizza (in a normal year) comes to an end. I love to see the faces of the students and the pride that they have and the knowledge that they have just accomplished something special, and they know that they did it all.”
Q: How many years have you been teaching?
A: “23 years.”
Q: What advice would you give to a student who is interested in joining crew in the future?
A: “ I always say that it is important to get involved early. It is more likely to get into crew for the first time as a freshman as opposed to an upperclassmen. I would like to get a person to be in the crew for four years as opposed to just one or two. Any one interested in joining would have to fill out an application to be considered.”
Thank you, Mr. Kaspar! Keep up the good work.
THE RETURN OF THE EYE 