Each April, the Wilton Special Education PTA (Wilton SEPTA) sponsors Kindness, Inclusion and Diversity Awareness Month throughout the Wilton Public School district, to help encourage a culture of compassion and inclusivity. As part of this programming, events are usually held for families in the community and in schools.
This year, Wilton SEPTA was excited to bring the artist Raf Santella, aka “5ive Fingaz,” to Wilton schools to spread his word about the importance of kindness and to share his guerilla street art project, “Love More than Ever.”
The artist and children’s author’s first visit took place on Thursday, April 7 when he started working on large-scale art projects with the students at Miller-Driscoll and Cider Mill Schools, including creating permanent murals incorporating the artwork. He made his next stops at Middlebrook School and Wilton High School on Monday, April 11.
As part of this program, students attended an assembly where 5ive Fingaz spoke about his journey as an artist. His is an inspiring story of staying true to your heart and listening to that inner voice inside, despite the barriers and challenges that life presents. His story is a celebration of resilience, perseverance, and triumph of the human spirit.
He attributes much of his success to the “angels” (many of whom were teachers and school counselors) along the way that believed in him even when he was going through the most trying of times. These mentors encouraged him to keep going and to channel his talent in a positive direction. Through his art, he was able to transcend his learning challenges in school and struggles with depression and anxiety to break through the barriers to heal and triumph.
As a tribute to those who supported him along his life’s path, and as a way of paying it forward, 5ive‘s mission is to spread messages of love, kindness, inclusion, and the universal urge to seek peace, and positive change for each other.
“I am excited to have a mural created by 5ive Fingaz and the Wilton students representing the concept of kindness and inclusion at the high school,” said Susanne Brandt, instructional leader and an art teacher at Wilton High School. “There is no greater learning experience than actually working with the artist in an up-close and personal manner.”
In each of the four Wilton schools, the students’ artwork will reflect their ideas about love, kindness, diversity, and inclusion. The artist will return to the schools for a formal unveiling of the works at a later date.
5ive Fingaz was equally pleased with his visits to the Wilton schools. “The energy and enthusiasm that greeted me at each school was definitely felt and appreciated. I love spreading my story and the Love More Than Ever movement every and anywhere I can and judging by the kids’ reactions, I believe I did that,” he said.
Kara Berghaus, Wilton SEPTA president and founder, expressed her gratitude to the Wilton SEPTA Executive Board and committees for their support with planning and to the Wilton Public School Art Departments and administration for their partnership and collaboration to make this visit a reality.
“We are so excited to bring 5ive Fingaz to our schools! When parent Olga Traub, told me about 5ive Fingaz and the incredible work that he has been doing, I knew we had to find a way to bring him to Wilton! His mission of spreading love, kindness and inclusion resonates with the heart of Wilton SEPTA’s core mission as an organization. 5ive’s story is an inspiring triumph over hardship and a celebration of resilience and the profound impact that positive mentors can have on someone’s life,” Berghaus said.
She added that 5ive Fingaz’s message through his art resonated with students and was a perfect way to inspire inclusion and compassion in the school community.
“Every single student shined so brightly at each of the school programs, and they were interested in hearing about 5ive’s resilient and unconventional journey. The beautiful murals created with our students will be a permanent symbol of hope for a more inclusive and kinder world,” Berghaus said.
In addition to this exclusive visit from the artist, students at the elementary schools showed their support for kindness and inclusion by dressing up like bees for Wilton SEPTA’s annual “Bee Kind” Day in partnership with GOOD Morning Wilton. Photos will be selected randomly to share with the school community and in GOOD Morning Wilton.
Other activities for the month included a special Wilton SEPTA Family Night at Parlor Pizza; a donation of proceeds at Craft 14 every Thursday in April; a district webinar on technology, “Access for All Learners”; ongoing mentorship training opportunities to support working with the special needs population; and sensory-friendly tours of the Wilton Fire Department for all students with an IEP or a 504.
Wilton SEPTA is the student support services parent-teacher association created to build compassionate, trusting, and collaborative relationships within Wilton’s school community. It is a dedicated group of educators, parents, and administrators from across the WPS district. that serves as a collaborative liaison between all four schools, with participation and representation on district and administrative committees and PTA boards to give a voice to the special education student population’s unique social and learning needs. SEPTA supports community and family events, parent education, enrichment programming for all students, and a teacher gifts and grants program. Supporting diversity, inclusion, and kindness for all learners are at the core of the organization’s goals. Visit the SEPTA website for more information.
5ive Fingaz has started a scholarship foundation that is open to all high school students across the country to support youth in their journey. To find out more about the artist and his scholarship fund visit his website.
Video Visit pt. 1
Video Visit pt. 2
Video Visit pt. 3
